Quadruple Sculls, Women

China was the defending gold medalist in women’s quad sculls. They won the gold medal at Tokyo 2020 with the team of Chen Yunxia, Zhang Ling, Lü Yang, and Cui Xiaotong. This precise same team was the World Champions in 2022 and then finished third at the 2023 Worlds. Not racing at the 2024 Luzern Regatta, which was basically an Olympic qualifier series, the same group of four Chinese rowers placed fourth at Luzern in 2023. The same foursome came to Paris 2024 and was favored.

Their biggest challengers were expected to be the Netherlands, which had finished second at the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, sandwiched between China and Great Britain both times, with Great Britain winning in 2023 and China in 2022. The Netherlands won the prestigious 2023 Luzern Regatta in women’s quadruple sculls. Great Britain came to Paris as the 2023 World Champion in women’s quadruple sculls and they were third at the 2022 Worlds. Great Britain was runner-up to the Netherlands at the 2023 Luzern Regatta but won the 2024 European Championship.

In the A final, the Netherlands led at all the early checkpoints, with Britain second at 1,000 and 1,500 metres. The two boats were setting a crushing pace and could not maintain it, as they slowed in the final 500 metres, but Great Britain finished faster to take the gold medal with the Netherlands in second place. The bronze medal went to Germany, which had the fastest final 500, but still finished over five seconds behind the Dutch boat. China made the final but was never a factor and finished sixth and last.

Great Britain won its first gold medal in the women’s quadruple sculls, and their fourth medal in the event, after three silvers in 2000-08. Germany’s bronze was their eighth medal in the event, the most of any nation. Of all the medalists, only Dutch rower Roos de Jong earned a second Olympic rowing medal, as she had taken bronze in the 2020 double sculls.