How do you define greatness? A mind-bending feat that surpasses expectation and rationality? A moment of authentic surprise that inverts the weight of pressing odds? Or perhaps an incision in the linear unfurling of your heart?
In sport, we are quick to anoint greatness upon each other. A performance that impresses us is often bestowed the virtue of greatness before it can even truly be understood. It is easy to attach brilliance onto bravery and boldness but sometimes the two should not be conflated. True greatness should combine mastery, magnanimity and more than a hint of magic.
The Olympic Games is our ultimate magic show. A procession of truly elite talent, operating at the pinnacle of their sport and thrust forward into a limelight fostered by four years of relative translucency. These two weeks are stitched into the very fabric of competition, dating back to the lore of Ancient Greece, and have transcended the politics of modern society to become the ultimate marker in sporting excellence. To win Olympic Gold gives you immortality of a rare and timeless specification – your story will be perpetuated forevermore, carried forward by the whispers of generations to come, who too aim to climb those sacred steps and join this club of champions. Emerging over the horizon, this time in the blue and red hue of palatial Paris, we are ready for the very fastest in rowing to be crowned.
Step forward, my friends – The Olympic Games have come.
The Stats
Country
Great Britain
Crew Names
Helen Glover
Esme Booth
Sam Redgrave
Rebecca Shorten
Average Age
31 years
Olympic Record
Gold in the W2- at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Glover)
Gold in the W2- at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Glover)
Fourth in the W2- at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Glover)
Fourth in the W4- at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Shorten)
2024 Competitive Record
World Rowing Cup 1: 1st (W4-)
World Rowing Cup 2: 1st (W4-)
World Rowing Cup 3: N/A
European Championships: 1st (W4-)
The Profile
If the GB men’s coxless four have been getting more vulnerable as the season progresses, the exact opposite can be said for their women’s crew. They have looked unbeatable so far this season, rowing with a beautiful, relaxed style. The British won the world title in 2022 with a line-up that included both Redgrave and Shorten. In 2023, Redgrave was injured and that year saw the return to competitive rowing of the “big” name in the crew, two-time Olympic champion, Helen Glover. It took time for the boat to gel, and they ended the season with world championship bronze. However, it’s in 2024, with the return of Redgrave, and Glover moving from the three-seat to bow, that the crew has really clicked. Led by Shorten, described by one former Olympic medallist as “the best stroke-woman in world rowing”, they have put themselves in a prime position to win gold.
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