Rower Jessica Thoennes has represented the US in various competitions. Jessica also participated in the Summer Olympics in 2020. The Talented rower was previously placed fourth at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. She is a really talented rower who has won many races and medals. She is now qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Five US rowers including Jessica Thoennes punch their ticket to the Paris Olympics at Benderson Park
Five American rowers secured their places on the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team by winning their respective finals on Sunday, the last day of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Trials held at Nathan Benderson Park.
Jessica Thoennes and Azja Czajkowski won the women’s pair event at the U.S. Rowing Olympic Team Trials, qualifying them for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 7:37.62. The trials took place at Nathan Benderson Park.
After qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics on April 7 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, U.S. rower Jessica Thoennes wrapped the American flag around herself and her teammate Azja Czajkowski, and tears streamed down her face.
“This is my dream,” “My dream has been to be an Olympian. I was in Tokyo, and I’m beyond thrilled that I get to do it in pairs with Azja.”
she said.
Jessica Thoennes’s Age, family, and Education
Jessica was born on September 20, 1995, in Madison, Wisconsin, United States.
Her parents are Chris Thoennes and Sue Thoennes. She has two sisters named Olivia Thoennes and Camille Thoennes.
Jessica graduated from Mountain Vista High School, where she played basketball and volleyball, but did not start rowing until she went to the University of Washington.
While Jessica has accomplished a lot in sports, her father Chris Thoennes, who lives in Highlands Ranch, said he is most proud of her courage to speak up and help others struggling with depression and mental health issues.
She finished her university education at the University of Washington in 2018.
Jessica considers winning the first sweep in NCAA history as one of her favorite sporting achievements. In her free time, she enjoys learning, reading, gardening, hiking in the mountains, and drinking coffee.
Jessica loves watching sports and considers Donald Driver, Clay Matthews, and Serena Williams as her role models.
Thoennes is Open about her being Bisexual
Jessica is bisexual. She is open about her bisexual orientation. Jessica is currently in a romantic relationship with Cody Black.
How did Jessica Thoennes start to rowing?
As reported by The Seattle Times, Jessica Thoennes, now 25 years old, started rowing for the first time six years ago while attending the University of Washington.
In high school, she played volleyball, and basketball, ran track, and did CrossFit. She went to the state tournament in volleyball during her junior and senior years. She was named to the Second-Team All-Conference for volleyball and was also named Academic All-State for both volleyball and basketball.
Also See: Meet Rower Emily Kallfelz and her sister Eliza Kallfelz Age, Wiki, Parents, Biography
After graduating from Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, Jessica Thoennes joined the rowing team at the University of Washington as a walk-on. After more than six years of hard work, she was selected to represent the United States as the second seat in the Women’s 8+ Rowing Team in Tokyo and now Paris.
Thoennes, who played basketball and volleyball at Mountain Vista, said she always wanted to be a Division I athlete.
Thoennes said after high school, she was considering her options when she visited the University of Washington to see a friend on the rowing team. She was given a tour, met with coaches, and offered a chance to join the rowing team.
Jessica Thoennes walked into the Conibear Shellhouse (boathouse) her freshman year and picked up an oar for the first time in her life.
Jessica Thoennes said during her sophomore year in college, she attempted suicide twice. She said the only reason she did not go through with it both times was her commitment to the rowing team.
Senior Career of Jessica and her road to PARIS
Jessica placed second in the women’s eight event at the 2017 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. She served as an alternate for the US National Team at the 2018 World Rowing Championships. At the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships, she won gold in the Second Varsity 8+ event.
Jessica Thoennes was a teammate of Doonan’s on the women’s eight team. She made her Olympic and global championship debut in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old Thoennes is not new to the Olympics. She was in the bow seat of the U.S. women’s eight boat at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, where her boat finished fourth, just two seconds behind the bronze medalists.
On her journey to the top in rowing, Thoennes won silver in the women’s 8+ at the 2017 World Rowing Under-23 Championships. She earned an academic All-Pac-12 honorable mention and won gold in the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships.
Most recently, she took second place in the U.S. women’s eight at the 2023 World Rowing Championships. But now she has paired up with the 23-year-old California native Azja Czajkowski. After qualifying for her second Olympics alongside her pair partner Azja Czajkowski, Thoennes is thinking about how she can inspire the next generation of female rowers.
With Czajkowski as her partner, Thoennes believes their chances in Paris are good. The duo had been working together for only about a week and a half but still managed to win their race by eight seconds.
Thoennes hopes their career together includes a top-three finish in Paris for both of them. If Thoennes and Czajkowski make the podium, it would be the first medal for the U.S. in the women’s pair event ever. This is especially meaningful as this is the first Olympics with full gender parity.
