Paris Olympic Qualification – August Update – World Championships coverage

With just under a year until the start of the Paris Olympics and just a couple of weeks until the first qualification spots are on the line at the World Championships, here’s a breakdown on how to qualify for the Paris Olympic Regatta in Belgrade.

There are six qualification events:

-World Rowing Championships, September 3-10 in Belgrade, SRB
-African Olympic Qualification Regatta, October 23-26 in Tunis, TUN
-Americas Olympic Qualification Regatta, March 14-17 in Rio de Janeiro, BRA
-Asian and Oceania Olympic Qualification Regatta, April 19-21 in Chungju, KOR
-European Olympic Qualification Regatta, April 25-28 in Szeged, HUN
-Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, May 19-21 in Lucerne, SUI

Of note, the United States can only qualify for Paris at the World Rowing Championships or the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, the latter of which requires a top two placement in each event to qualify.

If you need a reminder of how many training days are left until Paris, here’s the countdown clock to the Opening Ceremonies.

WOMEN’S SINGLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – Kara Kohler was selected as the USA W1x for the 2023 World Championships following her win at the National Selection Regatta on April 28 and her bronze medal performance in that event at World Cup II on June 18.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 9
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 32
COMMENTS – Kohler has been the United State’s women’s single sculler since 2018, with her highest finish being third place at the 2019 World Championships.

MEN’S SINGLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – Eliot Putnam of New York Athletic Club has accepted the spot as the USA M1x for the 2023 World Championships following his win at Trials on July 29.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 9
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 32
COMMENTS – Belgrade will be Putnam’s first time racing as the United States’ men’s single sculler. His prior international experience includes racing in the men’s quad at the 2021 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, and the U23 men’s eight in 2017.

USA W2-

WOMEN’S PAIR
CURRENT STATUS – Meghan Musnicki and Alie Rusher have accepted the spot as the USA W2- for the 2023 World Championships following their win at the National Selection Regatta on April 28 and their second place finish at World Cup II on June 18.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 11
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 13
COMMENTS – Musnicki and Rusher are in their first year as the United States women’s pair. Both are Olympians, with Musnicki having won gold in the women’s eight in both London and Rio and Rusher racing in the women’s quad in Tokyo. Read about how the pair came together here.

MEN’S PAIR
CURRENT STATUS – The Penn AC/California Rowing Club crew of Evan Olson and William Bender have accepted the spot as the USA M2- for the 2023 World Championships following their win at Trials on July 29.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 11
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 13
COMMENTS – Olson and Bender will make their senior team debuts in Belgrade, though both have U23 experience. Olson raced twice in the coxed four, winning bronze in 2017. Bender raced in the eight in 2021, winning silver.

WOMEN’S DOUBLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – Sophia Vitas and Kristi Wagner have accepted the spot as the USA W2x for the 2023 World Championships following their win at Trials on July 29.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 11
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 13
COMMENTS – Wagner and Vitas return as the American women’s double following their fifth place finish in the event in Racice in 2022. In addition to winning Trials, the duo won silver at World Cup II on June 18.

MEN’S DOUBLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – The California RC double of Sorin Kosyzk and Ben Davison has accepted the spot as the USA M2x for the 2023 World Championships following their win at the National Selection Regatta on April 28 and their second place finish at World Cup II on June 18.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 11
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 13
COMMENTS – Kosyzk and Davison are in their first year as the United States men’s double. Davison is an Olympian, having raced in the men’s eight in Tokyo and last year raced in the men’s single, finishing second in the B Final at the World Champs. In 2022, Kosyzk was in the men’s double, racing to a win in the B Final in Racice.

WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT DOUBLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princton double of Mary Jones Nabel and Michelle Sechser was selected as the USA LW2x for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 7
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 16
COMMENTS – Nabel and Sechser are in their first year as the United States lightweight women’s double. Sechser is an Olympian, racing in the event in Tokyo and finishing second last year in Racice. Jones Nabel raced in the lightweight single in 2022, finishing fourth in B Final and also won silver in the lightweight double in 2018.

MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT DOUBLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – The Texas RC double of Zach Heese and Jimmy McCullough was selected as the USA LM2x for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 7
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 16
COMMENTS – Heese and McCullough are in their first year as the United States lightweight men’s double. Heese returns from the 2022 crew that won the C Final in Racice. McCullough raced in the lightweight men’s single last year, finishing fifth in the C Final.

USA W4-

WOMEN’S FOUR
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princeton four of Claire Collins, Maddie Wanamaker, Kelsey Reelick, and Molly Bruggeman was selected as the USA W4- for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 7
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 9
COMMENTS – Collins and Wanamaker, both Tokyo Olympians, raced to both a third place finish in the pair and fourth place finish in the eight in 2022. They are joined by Reelick and Bruggeman, also from last year’s eight. The four has raced once in 2023, winning gold at World Cup II in Varese on June 18.

MEN’S FOUR
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princeton four of Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady, Nick Mead, and Justin Best was selected as the USA M4- for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 7
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 9
COMMENTS – Grady and Best raced to a B Final win in the men’s pair in 2022. Corrigan raced in the eight last year, finishing fourth, and Mead was in the four, finishing tenth in Racice. All four are Tokyo Olympians, with Corrigan, Mead, and Best racing in the eight, and Grady the four. A similar lineup, minus Best, won bronze at World Cup II in June.

WOMEN’S QUADRUPLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princeton quad of Emily Kallfelz, Grace Joyce, Molly Reckford, and Lauren O’Connor was selected as the USA W4x for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 7
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 9
COMMENTS – Kallfelz and Joyce return from the 2022 women’s quad that finished third in the B Final. Reckford moves to the quad from the lightweight women’s double, where she finished second in 2022 and fifth in Tokyo. O’Connor will be racing at her first World Championships.

USA M4x

MEN’S QUADRUPLE SCULLS
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princeton quad of Dominique Williams, Will Legenzowski, Liam Galloway, Kevin Cardno was selected as the USA M4x for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 7
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 9
COMMENTS – Williams and Cardno return from the 2022 men’s quad that finished second in the C Final. Legenzowski and Galloway will be making their senior team debuts, though both have recent U23 experience.

WOMEN’S EIGHT
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princeton eight of Nina Castagna, Charlotte Buck, Mary Mazzio-Manson, Regina Salmons, Alina Hagstrom, Brooke Mooney, Jessica Thoennes, Margaret Hedeman, and Emily Froehlich was selected as the USA W8+ for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 5
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 7
COMMENTS – Buck, Salmons, Hagstrom, and Thoennes and return from the 2022 eight that finished fourth at Worlds. Mooney, a Tokyo Olympian in the eight, returns after being one of the spares in 2022. The rest of the crew will be making their senior team debuts, with Mazzio-Manson, Hedeman, and Froehlich all having medaled at the U23 level since 2017.

MEN’S EIGHT
CURRENT STATUS – The USTC – Princeton eight of Jimmy Catalano, Henry Hollingsworth, Pieter Quinton, Chris Carlson, Alex Hedge, Clark Dean, Oliver Bub, Peter Chatain, and Ezra Carlson was selected as the USA M8+ for the 2023 World Championships following the USRowing selection camp for the event.
BELGRADE QUALIFICATION SPOTS – Top 5
TOTAL OLYMPIC ENTRIES – 7
COMMENTS – Catalano, Quinton, and Chris Carlson return from the 2022 men’s eight that finished fourth. Hollingsworth raced in the four last year, finishing tenth. Ezra Carlson and Bub were spares in 2022. Dean, a Tokyo Olympian in the four, returns to the men’s team after taking 2022 off from international competition. Then Hedge and Chatain will be making their senior team debuts, with Chatain moving up from the 2021 U23 men’s eight.

USA M8+