Pierre Houin (left) and Jérémie Azou.
For the second world cup in the run up to Rio 2016, the French rowing federation decided to make a personnel change to its lightweight double scull. Pierre Houin replaced Stany Delayre in the boat with Jérémie Azou. Two months later the new partnership became the first French crew to win gold at the Olympic Games since the heavyweight men’s double of Hardy and Vieilledent in 2004.
Azou and Houin are very different men who followed very different roads to their Olympic dreams. This is the story of two minds, two journeys and two champions who came together to give the French their best result in twelve years.