South African rowing squads earned silver and bronze at the first international regatta of the year for the rowers; one step closer to the Olympic qualifiers!
Zagreb, Croatia (09 May, 2023)—Rowing squads from around the world competed over the weekend at the first international regatta of the year—the World Rowing Cup I in Croatia.
South Africa’s RMB Rowing squad made an international splash, earning silver and gold for their races that day.
The Men’s Four saw Henry Torr, James Mitchell, Christopher Baxter and Jake Green especially ready to rally against the Ukranian team who beat them at the World Champs last year. The SA squad kept their promise to outdo their competition and earned silver with only a Swiss boat speeding into first place ahead.
As for the Women’s Double Scull (Katherine Williams and Paige Badenhorst), the pair earned a bronze medal; securing the second podium status for SA rowing overall.
“It is extremely exciting and encouraging to once again see the high levels of performance from the RMB National Squad on the international stage. We would like to congratulate the rowers with the bronze and silver they are bringing home.
“This first international regatta of the year plays an important role in the squad’s preparation ahead of the Paris Olympics, and the results are indicative of the tremendous effort of Tiago Loureiro RMB National Squad Head Coach and his team and athletes are investing in setting themselves, and South Africa, up for success,” shared Lucy Foot, RMB Brand Head.
Now, all efforts will row toward earning Olympic spots.
For the Paris Olympics in 2024, there are three sets of qualifying steps. The first is the World Rowing Championships (the biggest rowing event of the year) set to take place in Serbian waters in September. The second sees the Continental Qualification Regattas. The final boss is the Olympic Qualification Regatta, which will take place in 2024.
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