MEN'S DOUBLES
M2x
Words: Rachel Quarrell / Photography: Steve McArthur
The men's doubles has been a banker for several Olympiads, with one of the most competitive battles to qualify and tight, nerve-tingling racing every time. Coming into the regatta virtually everyone who ended up in the final had a claim on the gold, World Rowing tipping China due to their 2021 world cup victory and Zhang Liang's 14 years of international racing experience. However, Dutchmen Stef Broennink and Melvin Twellaar had won gold at their second regatta together, the postponed 2020 European championships and then set a new Olympic best time in the Tokyo semi-finals, the Swiss duo of Barnabe Delarze and Roman Roeoesli are always highly competent, and Poles Mateuz Biskup and Miroslaw ZIetarski have been hopping in and out of doubles and quads together for the last seven years, often claiming medals on the way. Despite good recent form Ireland's M2x had finished last in their semi, so missed the A-final, but the French and British were a couple of seconds apart at the front of the same race, Britain's Graeme Thomas delighted to become an Olympian after missing Rio due to last-minute illness, and Hugo Boucheron similarly ecstatic after toxoplasmosis had nearly ruined his and Matthieu Androdias' efforts to qualify for Tokyo in 2019 when they were reigning 2018 world champions and then both had got COVID last winter.