SARASOTA – A quintet of American rowers consisting of Kara Kohler, Jessica Toenne, Aja Czakovsky, Oliver Babb and Bill Bender discover the beauty of autumn in Paris.
The five athletes earned spots on the U.S. Olympic rowing team by winning their respective finals on Sunday, the final day of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Trials at Nathan Benderson Park.
Kohler, who placed fourth in the women's single scull at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Games, finished first and second on Sunday's 2km course with a time of 8:04.01. I had a 6 second lead. – Place finisher Margaret Fellows. The team of Jessica Thoenne and Aja Czakovsky, who competed in the women's pair, took first place with a time of 7 minutes, 37.62 seconds, eight seconds ahead of Hannah Painter and Hannah Heidefeldt. In the men's pair, the team of Oliver Babb and Bill Bender won in 6:54.64, earning them a ticket to Paris.
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Their boat was the only one guaranteed immediate entry into the rowing division of the Paris Games, scheduled for July 27th to August 4th.
The winners of the men's single sculls, men's double sculls, men's quadruple sculls, women's quadruple sculls, PR1 men's single sculls and PR2 mixed double sculls will all be selected for the World Championships, which will be held May 19-21 in Lucerne, Switzerland. He earned the right to participate in the final rowing Olympic and Paralympic qualifying regatta. Get a chance to advance to Paris. The complete Olympic team will be determined on June 7th.
This was Kohler's second attempt for the California Bay Area native and her fourth attempt to make the Olympic team. She did not make the squad for the 2012 London Games.
“I was very green and new to the sport,” she said. “I didn't make the team, but it was tough.”
At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Koehler placed third in the “B” final.
“Yes, I think it's a dream,” the 33-year-old said. “(In Tokyo) it wasn't the performance I was capable of. So this time I'm going to Paris with all these lessons. It's a big show, but I want to go and I want to perform.”
Thowens and Czakovsky teamed up after both were removed from U.S. selection camp just 10 days earlier.
“Coming out of selection camp and doing this job is (tough) both mentally and physically,” said Czakovsky, who won gold in the women's eight event at the 2022 U23 World Rowing Championships. “It's really a high-stakes gamble. I think we kept a positive mindset through it all.”
Toens competed in the women's eight at the Tokyo Games and finished in fourth place.
“This is my dream,” she said. “My dream is to be an Olympian. I was in Tokyo and I'm so excited to be paired with Azuja.”
Babb graduated from Dartmouth in 2020, but has one year left on Bender. Babs' parents were rowers, so it wasn't unusual for Babs to meet Olympians while growing up in Westport, Connecticut.
“I've always been around this sport,” he said. “I started rowing my freshman year of high school because I always thought about it. For me, it was a dream come true. I think this is something I've dreamed of for a long time. I came out ( It means a lot to get it done (on Sunday).”
Sunday's weather conditions made paddling difficult, Bender said.
“It's definitely slow,” he said. “It's a bit of a bad crosshead (wind). We knew it was going to be a longer race. We just trusted our fitness.
“(Qualifying for the Olympics) is really great. In some ways, it feels a little unfair. (Oliver) has been working hard all four years. In some ways, this is like gravy for me.”
