World Rowing announces Rio Olympic rowing entries by name

For immediate release
26 July 2015, Lausanne, Switzerland

With 11 days to go until the start of the 2016 Rio Olympic Rowing Regatta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the World Rowing Federation, FISA, brings you the athlete entries by name as they were submitted at the entry deadline of 18 July 2016.

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, there will be 69 nations competing at the Rio Olympics in rowing with the biggest team coming from Great Britain. The British have qualified 12 crews out of a possible 14 boat classes. This men’s four includes the rowers Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis who are out to defend an Olympic winning streak that includes the last four Olympic Games. Defending their Olympic title in the women’s pair will be Helen Glover and Heather Stanning while the women’s eight are hoping to win the first Olympic medal in this boat class for their nation.

Both New Zealand and the United States have qualified 11 boats. New Zealand will showcase the men’s pair of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond. Murray and Bond came together in the pair in 2009 and have gone on to become one of the most successful rowing partnerships ever. They are billed as the closest thing to a ‘sure thing’ in winning the Olympic gold. Also defending an Olympic title will be Mahe Drysdale in the men’s single sculls. New Zealand is boating a women’s eight for the first time at an Olympic Games.

The United States’ flagship crew is the women’s eight. The eight has gone unbeaten in every major race since 2006 – a winning streak never before seen in rowing. Coached by Tom Terhaar for the entire stretch, the crew line up is new for Rio with only two returning athletes from the London Olympics; Meghan Musnicki and Eleanor Logan. In the women’s single sculls Gevevra Stone will be competing at her second Olympics as a medal prospect after finishing seventh at the London Olympics.

Ten countries will be competing for the first time in rowing at an Olympic Games. Vanuatu’s Luigi Teilemb will be the first rower from his country. Teilemb is part of the growth of rowing in this Pacific Island nation and will compete in the men’s single sculls. Singapore is also competing in rowing for the first time with women’s single sculler Saiyidah Mohamed Rafa’ee. Libya, Ecuador, Togo, Nigeria, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela and Angola are also competing for the first time.

Competing at her seventh Olympic Games will be Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus. The 44-year-old won Olympic gold in the women’s single sculls at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. She will be competing again in the single in Rio. Similarly for Olaf Tufte of Norway, Rio will be his sixth Olympic Games. Tufte won gold in the men’s single sculls at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. For Rio he will compete in the men’s double sculls.

Rowing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will start on 6 August 2016 with finals being contested on 10, 11, 12 and 13 August.

For a full list of entries click here.
For more Olympic rowing information here.