For British rowers, this is a very good day in need, because four of the five ships in action have allowed their Olympic hopes to continue.
After the opening of the two-day regatta, some British crews faced the prospect of leaving these Olympics early, not only because the organizers advanced Monday’s race to Sunday in view of the bad weather forecast.
However, both the women’s quadruple and the men’s quadruple seized the second chance given to them in the rematch, won their respective competitions and entered the finals.
“The goal is the top two, but if you want to be the best here, you have to try to beat everyone,” said Angus Grum, of the men’s team. “In every game, we want to try and win.
“We just want the boat to travel as fast as possible, if that means we have to be three inches or one inch long, that’s what we want.
“We just want our boat to travel as fast as possible from beginning to end.”
Elsewhere, Rio’s single sculler Vicky Thornley finished third in the quarter-finals and advanced to the semifinals, while the men’s double scull duo Graeme Thomas and John Collins finished second. Then advance to the final.
“I finished the work to reach the semifinals,” Thornley said. “It may not be the ideal result I want, but it is one round at a time. You have to play a little game to make sure you don’t put all the eggs in one game.
“I was really satisfied with the first half-very good. If I were second, I would still make it to the same semi-final. Now I learn from it, recover well in two days, and then enter the semi-final.”
The only disappointment is the women’s quadruple sculls. The British team only finished fourth in the rematch and will enter the B final.
