Olympic Games Six Months Away Today

Millenium Bridge to St. Paul's, London (Photo: © B. Kitch)
As has been widely observed in rowing circles, particularly in the UK, this date marks exactly six months until the Olympic Games begin in London. Here in the U.S., things remain clear–the first mission of the U.S. men's team will be to qualify the eight for London, and given the talent level in the sweep group right now, we are backing them to do just that. Men's eight coach Mike Teti has mastered the double-taper before, having coached extremely successful U23 boats (most notably last year's world's best time-setting eight), made up of athletes who raced at the IRA regatta at roughly the same time as the qualification regatta will take place this spring. We're expecting him to produce more of the same as he guides his crew through the summer en route to London.

And speaking of London, the BBC's Matthew Pinsent has been on an Olympic tour of late, providing photos not only of London venues that are currently under construction, but also proposed venues in Rio, for the 2016 Games (including this shot from high above the city), via his Twitter feed. During the trip, Pinsent also spent time in the favelas surrounding Rio, meeting with established and aspiring Brazilian athletes along the way (including 2011 World Champ in the LW1x, Fabiana Beltrame). While London no doubt holds a special place in his heart, Pinsent indicated while on tour that the Olympic rowing course in Rio would be the most beautiful rowing venue in the history of the Games.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's remember that London is just around the corner, and things on the ground appear to be coming together nicely as the world prepares to come together this July. As Pinsent notes in a recent post, the Olympic village in London will provide a view of the city–perhaps the first time that this has been the case. Here's hoping for great weather and excellent conditions at Dorney Lake!

-RR

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