At the European Olympic Qualification Regatta in Varese (April 5-7), Monegasque rower Quentin Antognelli hopes to secure the coveted ticket to Tokyo and thus become the second athlete from the Principality to qualify, after Xiaoxin Yang (table tennis).
Will Quentin Antognelli (26 years old) become the second Monegasque athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games (July 23 – August 8) after Xiaoxin Yang (table tennis)? It will all be decided in Varese, Italy, where the rower from the Principality will compete at the European Olympic Qualification Regatta from April 5 to 7.
On the Italian waters, the “red and white” athlete will have to fiercely battle over 2000 meters (about 7 minutes of racing) in a competition format featuring 16 competitors. Only the top three will earn the coveted ticket to Tokyo. The task will be challenging, and there’s no room for error: “These will be cutthroat races. We need to go all out!” Before heading to Italy, the Monegasque showed a certain calm. “The French national tests I participated in went well. I feel in good shape.”
While he acknowledges the quality of his adversaries, Quentin Antognelli is not intimidated: “I’ve already rowed against most of them, we were on equal footing.” He dreams of this Olympic qualification. “The Olympic Games are prestigious. Qualifying and entering through the front door would be truly fabulous.” Currently in his final year of a master’s program (business management) at Oxford Brookes University in England, the Monegasque (1.89m, 84 kg) has a busy schedule, balancing studies and high-level training. “We’re on the water at 8 am, back for weight training at 11 am. I have classes at 3 pm, and then a lighter third training session at 6 pm.” Moving to the UK was the ideal path. “Oxford is an institution in the rowing world. I am among about twenty athletes, some aiming for the English Olympic team and Olympic medals. It is a privilege to be with them.”
After Varese, Quentin Antognelli will have another chance in Lucerne, Switzerland, from May 15 to 17, at the world qualification regatta with two qualifying spots. “It will be a bit more complicated.” While he hopes to qualify like Xiaoxin Yang (“It shows that Monegasques can achieve it, making you want to follow in their footsteps.”), Quentin Antognelli also has Paris 2024 in mind. “In the single scull, athletes have four to five more years of training to reach maturity compared to me.”
