The Canadian rowing team had a spectacular performance during the Semifinals and Finals at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Among the qualifiers is Gavin Stone, a member of the Queen's Rowing team.

Due to inclement weather, both the Semifinal and Final races were contested on Sunday morning. After successfully passing through the Semifinal races, the crew lined up just two hours later for the Finals.

The men's four kicked things off against their top competitors from South Africa and France. With South Africa off to a fast start, the crew, led by Will Crothers (Kingston Rowing Club) had to power down throughout the middle of the race. Supported by Jakub Buczek (St. Catharines Rowing Club), Stone (Argonaut Rowing Club/Queen's University) and Luke Gadsdon (Leander Boat Club/Brock University), they successfully opened up water ahead of France to finish in second.

"When the race was unfolding in the third 500m, we all just had trust in each other and our race plan. We knew we had to stick to our plan and go for it. We had the speed and we knew going into the sprint that we could turn it on, and that anything they were doing, we could do more," said Stone.

Stone said they were accustomed to compressed racing schedules following experiences at the Canadian University Championships. "We knew we had the fitness to bang two out back-to-back and we could go for it. Canadian grit, you know."

Stone was the Queen's 2018-19 Outstanding Performance of the Year award winner. That season he took national gold at the Canadian University Rowing Championships. Also, he added a pair of gold medals at the OUA Championship, where he was named the male athlete of the year and an OUA All-Star. 

"We are ecstatic for Gavin and all the Canadian rowers who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics yesterday," said Katie Bruggeling, Queen's Assistant Rowing Coach. "Gavin has been working towards this goal for a long-time, and the Queen's Rowing team is excited to watch and support him in Toyko."

For more details on Tokyo 2020, click here.