An uncertain spread – the men’s pair

It has been anything but usual this quadrennial. With the expected wrap up of the Olympic cycle not taking place due to the postponement of the Olympic Games, the lead up continues for one more year.

Recap of last four-years:

The men’s pair has been one of the more predictable boat classes throughout the last cycle – predominantly due to the success of Croatia’s Sinkovic brothers. But a few other crews have managed to consistently find their way into the A-final, including Italy, New Zealand, Australia and France. The Kiwis had big shoes to fill after the retirement of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, but Thomas Murray and Michael Brake have been working their way up the leaderboard and rounded of 2019 with a silver medal at the World Rowing Championships.

2017 World Championships: ITA, CRO, NZL, FRA, GBR, SRB

2018 World Championships: CRO, ROU, FRA, CAN, NZL, ESP

2019 World Championships: CRO, NZL, AUS, ITA, ESP, FRA

Fun tid bit: The men’s pair has boasted some of the best rivalries in the sport of rowing: Australia, France, Italy and Great Britain have all played salient roles. But with the rise of the Kiwi pair in 2009, the game changed. The Sinkovic brothers have tried to take on the challenge that the Kiwi’s left behind, but it has not been smooth sailing. With Olympic postponement, they have one more year to prove it.

 Closest medal race: The men’s pair is one of the boat classes with the widest-spread field coming across the finish line. Finishing times are often one to three seconds apart. However the closest medal race in the last quadrennial was at the 2017 World Rowing Championships when Italy beat Croatia by just 0.34 seconds. Italy took the championship title, denying the Sinkovic brothers of the possibility to snatch gold across the quadrennial.

Must watch: The 2017 World Championship A-final is reminiscent of the legendary Olympic race by Jean-Christophe Rolland and Michel Andrieux. The grit and determination in the Italian crew was unmatched. Watch here: https://www.eurovisionsports.tv/fisa#dm9kOzkxODk2

Olympic qualifiers: Eleven crews qualified at the 2019 World Rowing Championships (Croatia, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Spain, France, Serbia, Canada, South Africa, Romania, Belarus). Two more crews will be added from the 2021 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta.

The ramification of the ‘extra year’: The 2020 European Rowing Championships may have given insight into the potential upset for the 2021 season. The young Romanian crew of Marius-Vasile Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosa beat the Sinkovic brothers by three seconds, who in turn beat the Italian pair of Matteo Lodo and Giuseppe Vicino by one second. This Romanian crew has shown their potential in the last four years, but they may have just scored enough time to realise it before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Further, the Sinkovic brothers have struggled with injury – an additional year of sweep rowing will only add pressure to their bodies.

Olympic prediction: As always, it’s tough to call. But in the men’s pair, there are a few crews that cannot be ruled out. Martin and Valent Sinkovic have vast experience and always perform well under pressure. Their shot at Olympic gold is certainly high. But the Kiwis will have had some of the best training conditions and another year under their belt to solidify their performance. And the Australians and the French are likely to give it a good go. Of course, don’t forget about the Romanians who are likely to benefit from the extra year. Despite the relatively spread field, the men’s pair is certainly not a sure-thing.