It was a foregone conclusion: the French crew, Billy Besson and Marie Riou were inevitably going to fight for the Olympic podium, after having crushed the competition throughout the preparation (four consecutive World Champion titles) and shown impressive superiority. But that didn’t allow for the ups and downs specific to sportsmen and women: injured during the final training session before departing for Rio, and affected by a slipped disc, Besson (who arrived at the marina in Rio every morning in a wheelchair) was not able to defend his chances, and although finishing 6th in these conditions was a superb performance, we can easily imagine the French crew’s disappointment.
And the race? The result was just as emotional: the Argentinean Santiago Lange won the Olympic gold with his partner Cecilia Carranza, and thus became the oldest gold medalist at Rio, at the age of 54. A gold medal with a unique flavor, as Santiago has been fighting lung cancer for the past year… Bravo!
All the results:
