Well.....Its upon us. The Olympics. The Dream. The Vibe.
South Africa has sent its biggest contingent in history. One can only hope we make some history too.
The Rio course is reputedly as predictable as the Lightweight Mens Coxless Four who won in London 2012. Crosswind this. Current that.Lane 1 this. Lane 6 that.
Here is your guide to the South African and Zimbo crews rowing at the Olympics. The events. The crews. The days. The times.The progressions. The vibe.
Lets start off with the Doubles.
The Mens Lightweight Double Sculls ( LM2X-) of James Thompson and John Smith will be up against 20 crews in their event which means its a longish journey to make the A final if they don't get it right early. According to the Fisa Regulations , an event with 20 crews in it will have four heats, two repêchages, two A/B semi-finals and two C/D semifinals.
A repêchage is like the awkward middle heat where , on one hand you can still make it into the top 12, but on the other hand could still end up in the bottom 6. Not an Ayoba place to be.
The first two crews of each heat go forward to semi-finals A/B; the remaining crews go forward to the repêchages. Thus our chaps ( and everyone else) will be wanting to finish top two in the heat.
The first two crews of each repêchage go forward to semi-finals A/B; the remaining crews go forward to semi-finals C/D.
The first three crews of each semi-final A/B go forward to A final , the remaining crews go forward to B final .
The last crew in each semi-final C/D goes forward to D final and the remaining crews go
forward to C final.
So basicly these chaps will be wanting to make top 2 in the first 2 races to ensure they make the A final. They race on Sunday 7th August at 16:20 SA time. Tune in and enjoy the Vibe
Next: The Lightweight Womens Double Sculls ( LW2X-) of Ursula Grobelar and Kirst McCann are also in an event with 20 entries , which means their progression to the A final is set up exactly the same way as the mens. Top 2 in forst 2 races. eeeeeeeyoh. Its hectic. But these ladies are top in the world and we can back them , as we can the men, to show some serious metal in these heats. The ladies kick off on Sunday 7th of August at 15:40 SA time. So join them and watch the okes straight after.
