Image Credit: World Rowing
2023 Champions: Francesca Allen, Giedrė Rakauskaitė, Josh O’Brien, Ed Fuller, Erin Kennedy (cox) (Great Britain)
Entries: 8
Paris 2024 was another jewel in the already heavy crown of Great Britain’s Mixed PR3 Coxed Four. Paralympic Champions in London, Rio, Tokyo, and Paris, and every World Championships in between, Shanghai will see them start this new cycle and get ready to extend their 15-year unbeaten streak. The bank of superlatives is empty. This dynasty is one of the greatest in sport, but all good things must end. Not yet, though, for this British combination.
The only change to the quintet of gold medallists that won 12 months ago is cox Erin Kennedy, who withdrew from summer trials due to medical reasons. All is good with Kennedy; she is back training with Leander Club at the start of the new domestic season, and in her place is Tom Bryce. The Oxford Brookes BC cox is a three-time U23 world champion, having coxed the U23 men’s eight to gold from 2023-2025, so the British juggernaut is in safe hands as they head to Shanghai.
Great Britain won the Paralympics by just over three seconds ahead of the United States of America. The Americans return their cox Emelie Eldracher and only one of their rowers, Ben Washburne. The rest of this crew are all debuting at a senior World Rowing Championships. The next Paralympics will be in Los Angeles in three years’ time, and on home water, the Americans hope to turn silver into gold. It’s not been the start to the season that they would have liked, though. The USA was second at World Rowing Cup Varese, the only event this season that has seen racing in this boat class. On this occasion, the Brazilians were on top by three seconds, so a terrific start for them to this season and this new Paralympic cycle.
While Brazil raced in Paris, they had to go via the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta and ended up second in the B-final behind China. Interestingly, China was six seconds ahead of Brazil in Paris and will race on home water with an unchanged lineup from 12 months ago.
However, from the rest of the A-final at the Paralympics, Germany and Italy will also be fielding crews. For the Germans, Kathrin Marchand, Marc Lembeck, and cox Inga Thoene return from the Paris combination that placed fourth, an agonising 0.06s back on bronze medallists France. Italy was sixth, 12 seconds behind Germany, and for three of the rowers and the cox, this will be their first appearance at a senior World Rowing Championships.
What’s clear is that there are a lot of new faces in this boat class. With only one opportunity this season for these boats to race each other, reading into the results from World Rowing Cup Varese is challenging.
What we can take away, though, is that Brazil has stepped up from last year’s Paralympics and, along with the United States, will be looking to end the British 15-year reign. China comes in as a massive unknown quantity on home water, with a serious question about whether they have kept pace in training with the Brazilians.
At that race in Varese, the Italians were ten seconds behind the United States, so I think they’ll be unlikely to be on the podium. Spain will also send a boat to Shanghai, but it differs from the one that was 40 seconds behind Brazil, so again, there are big question marks about whether or not they can show any signs of improvement.
Prediction
There are many ifs, buts, and maybes in this field. One thing that stands true above all else is that Great Britain is the reigning World and Paralympic Champions and, as such, is still the red-hot favourite to take gold in Shanghai. Silver and bronze will be fought between the USA, China, and Brazil, with the Americans overturning the result from Varese.
