Five Netherlands rowing teams qualify for the Olympics

Five Dutch rowing teams qualified for the Olympic Games thanks to their results at the World Championships in Belgrade. Athletes from the Netherlands will take part in the women’s and men’s quadruple scull, the women’s and men’s coxless four, and the women’s coxless pair.

In the coxless pair, Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester won themselves a ticket. The Dutch duo only had Australian rowers Jessica Morrison and Annabelle Mcintyre ahead of them in the semi-finals.

Marloes Oldenburg, Hermijntje Drenth, Tinka Offereins, and Benthe Boonstra noted the best time in the semi-final of the women’s four: 6.52,72. Only Romania came close: 6.53,98.

The Dutch men’s fours finished second in their race. The quartet of Niki van Sprang, Ruben Knab, Ralf Rienks, and Rik Rienks was slower than the United States, with the British team being the fastest in the other race.

In the women’s quadruple sculls, Roos De Jong, Tessa Dullemans, Laila Youssifou, and Bente Paulis qualified convincingly for the Games. They won their semi-final ahead of China in a time of 7.04,10.

The men’s quadruple sculls can also turn their focus to the Paris Games. Lennart van Lierop, Finn Florijn, Tone Wieten, and Koen Metsemakers impressed by outclassing their opponents. The Dutch foursome left Switzerland far behind them: 6.06,20 to 6.14,47. Poland was the quickest in the other semi-final with 6.16,01.

The men’s twosome, with Abe Wiersma and Nelson Ritsema, missed the semi-finals and did not qualify for the Games.

A final spot at the World Championships is enough for a ticket to the Olympics, except for eight-person rowing events. In that case, the rowers themselves do not qualify; the boat does. The teams can still change their personnel.