Ntouskos began his defense of the gold medal he won in Tokyo on a positive note, securing his quarterfinal spot without significant difficulty. He finished second in the first group of the preliminary rounds with a time of 7:01.55.

The Greek rower did not start well, having a poor beginning to the race. However, he quickly moved to the second position before the first 500 meters. The race outcome did not change until the end, with New Zealand’s Thomas Mackintosh maintaining a strong pace, preventing the athlete from Ioannina from considering a potential overtake.

The top three from Ntouskos’ group were completed by Egyptian rower Elbana Abdelkhalek.