Rowing Preview
The U.S. Para-rowing team will have boats racing in all four events at this summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Team USA has medaled in all three editions of Paralympic rowing since the sport debuted on the program at the 2008 Beijing Games. In Rio five years ago, the U.S. took home one silver medal in the PR3 mixed four with coxswain.
Returning from that crew hoping for a second Paralympic medal is Dani Hansen, who will join with Charley Nordin, Karen Petrik, Allie Reilly and John Tanguay in Tokyo. That same crew claimed a silver medal — the sixth in a row for the U.S. — at the most recent world championships in 2019. It was at the 2019 worlds that the U.S. qualified all of its boats — the PR1 men’s single sculls, PR1 women’s single sculls, PR2 mixed double sculls and PR3 mixed four with coxswain.
Manning the PR1 men’s single sculls will be Paralympian Blake Haxton, returning for a second Games after placing fourth in Rio. First-time Paralympian Hallie Smith will compete in PR1 women’s single sculls. And in PR2 mixed double sculls, Russell Gernaat teams up with Laura Goodkind, who returns after placing 10th in Rio.
Crews in PR1 men’s single sculls, PR1 women’s single sculls and PR2 mixed double sculls were selected at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in April 2021. Athletes in the PR3 mixed four with coxswain were selected through a selection camp process. The full team was announced June 28, 2021.
Updated on July 20, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer.