The World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia drew to a close this Sunday with a clear result sheet for the Spanish team. The performances yielded three finalists and secured four permanent Olympic berths, reinforcing Spain as a notable contributor to Paris 2024 quotas.
Spain competed in ten standard boat classes and three Paralympic boats, aiming to sustain momentum after last year’s strong showings. Although the nation did not defend its two silver medals from the previous edition in men’s double sculls and the coxless pair, the team nonetheless clinched a Paris 2024 berth that eludes them no more since 2004.
In the double sculls for men, the pairing of Rodrigo Conde and Aleix Garcia, who had finished as runners-up a year ago, moved forward to the final and finished fifth in a field of strong contenders. Their advancement to the final confirmed their Olympic place, as eleven boats competed in this category.
For the lightweight double sculls, Caetano Horta and Dennis Carracedo also finished fifth, a result that sealed Paris 2024 qualification for this newly established boat class. Paralympian Benat Odriozola, competing in PR2M1x, came within a single place of medaling after progressing directly to the final and improved on last year’s sixth place.
In the events featuring both male and female coxed boats (2-), the crews finished seventh and eighth respectively after progressing through the B finals. This outcome left them with a secure ninth position in the overall ranking for Olympic qualification in the French capital.
Close to the Paralympic arena, PR1 boats saw Javier Garcia finish second in the B final, a result that kept him in the running for potential Olympic opportunities through subsequent international events. On the other hand, the boat steered by Virginia Díaz, who finished sixth, will need to pursue additional opportunities in the lead-up to Paris 2024 as the top nine placements in the selection method remain in play.
Manel Balastegui secured second place in the B final in the lightweight single (LM2x-), which is not an Olympic event but still contributed valuable ranking points. Verónica Rodríguez, Josefa Benítez, Mario López, Saúl Peña, and Leonor García, racing the PR3Mix4+ crew, placed ninth in the C final and will also target other championships to claim a Paris 2024 berth.
Teresa Díaz took part in her first World Championship and emerged victorious in the C final alongside Iria Jarama, Izaskun Etchániz, Olivia del Castillo, and María Fernanda Valencia in the lightweight four event (G4-). The performance signaled a strong start for the group on the international stage.
In the C final for the lightweight double sculls, Natalia de Miguel and Rocío Lao achieved fifth place, while Gonzalo García finished third in Final D after making his World Cup debut in Belgrade. The overall narrative from Belgrade highlighted a resilient Spanish squad gaining visibility across multiple crews and closer to Paris 2024 with each race.