Paris 2024: Para rowers compete amidst greenery and Disneyland vibes

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, 104 Para rowers will chase medals at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium; a green site surrounded by 450 trees and positioned near the Disneyland Paris theme park. 

The venue can hold about 14,000 spectators for the Para rowing action that will be on for three days between 30 August and 1 September. 

Para rowing has been a thrilling feature of the Paralympic Games since the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Today it consists of five events, three of which are mixed; two PR2 and Pr3 double sculls and one in PR3 coxed four. 

Great Britain tops the all-time Para rowing medals table with 10 medals, including eight of gold, followed by China with six medals and Ukraine on five. 

Five storylines for Para rowing ...

Ukraine's Roman Polianskyi chases third consecutive title 

Roman Polianskyi won a Para rowing single sculls gold medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, only two years after picking up the sport, and repeated the feat in Tokyo. 

Aiming for a third consecutive title however, the preparations have been different for the Ukrainian, who said "everything changed because of the war". 

"When we are in Ukraine, the air-warning system screams every day, the siren doesn't stop. Also, the sounds are transmitted by vibration and shock waves. It's very frightening," he said. 

The 37-year-old, who apart from training in Ukraine has spent time in Croatia and Turkiye, sees himself as his greatest rival at Paris 2024. 

"The strongest opponent I ever met is laziness," he said. 

Will Skarstein repeat her Paralympic winter and summer double? 

Norway's Birgit Skarstein has won the overall World Cup title in rowing as well as cross-country skiing and is a Paralympian with several individual world cup victories on both snow and water.

At Tokyo 2020 she landed her only Paralympic podium so far as she clinched the gold medal in the women's PR1 single sculls.

Three years later, the 35-year-old, who rose to fame in Norway's version of celebrity dance TV show "Dancing with the stars", aims to defend her title.

Skarstein started her training in Vaires-sur-Marne, and was buoyed by the proximity to Disneyland Paris, saying:

"The contrast is amazing as we’re in hardcore preparations for the Paralympic Games and you have children everywhere with Mickey Mouse hats eating ice cream.

“The other day there was this cute two-year-old pushing the buttons in the lift. I asked her if she did anything interesting, and she said, ‘I did the (Mad Hatter's) Tea Cups. They were the best I’ve ever done'. It gives a perspective to what we’re doing.”

Paralympic debutant O'Brien dreams of gold 

Ireland's Katie O'Brien started Para rowing after watching the sport at the London 2012 Paralympic Games with her father, who passed away a month later. Twelve years later, the 27-year-old made her Games debut as a 2022 women's single sculls PR2 world champion, hoping to repeat the feat on the Paralympic stage. 

"I'd absolutely love to be on that podium," O'Brien said. 

"But everybody wants to, and it's a tight field. You never know what can happen on the day. So we are keeping our hopes up and doing our best, and hopefully, things work." 

British rowers aim for new greatness 

Great Britain was the only country to win more than one Para rowing gold medal at Tokyo 2020, clinching two of the four first places available, and the rowing powerhouse will be looking for the medal table top spots this time as well. 

Three years ago, Lauren Rowles and Laurence Whiteley defended their mixed double sculls title from Rio 2016. At Paris 2024, Rowles has a new partner in Gregg Stevenson as she hopes to become the first Para rower to win three consecutive Paralympic gold medals. 

Giedre Rakauskaite, who was part of the team who cliched the mixed coxed four victory PR3, will be in Paris aiming to defend the title that Great Britain has held since London 2012. His compatriot Benjamin Pritchard will look to make up for narrowly missing the podium at Tokyo 2020 on the Vaires-sur-Marne water.

World champion Altschwager favourite in Paralympic debut 

A multi medallist at the world championships, Australia's Jed Altschwager transitioned from men's to PR3 mixed double sculls to win his first world title in 2023, teaming up with Nikki Ayers. The friends, who had met at an Australian rowing camp in 2017, were named 2023 World Rowing Para crew of the year. 

"Getting to row with a mate every day and enjoy the journey was the biggest deciding factor for me (to row the double)," said Ayers. 

"I know Jed is always putting in 110 per cent each day as he knows I am too." 

Paris 2024 is Altschwager's Paralympic debut and the duo aims straight for the podium.