U.S. Rowers Win Three Medals at 2008 Olympic Games

For the first time since 1984 and the second time in Olympic rowing history, the U.S. won the gold medal in the women's eight to highlight a three-medal performance at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The U.S. team also came away with a silver medal in the women's single sculls and a bronze medal in the men's eight.

Overall, Great Britain led the rowing medal count with two gold medals and six overall. Canada won four medals, while the U.S., Australia and New Zealand took home three medals each.

In the women's eight, the U.S. entered the regatta as the two-time defending world champions and was trying to stop Romania's streak of three consecutive Olympic titles. In the heat, the crew of coxswain Mary Whipple (Sacramento, Calif.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.), Anna Cummins (Bellevue, Wash.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Anna Goodale (Camden, Maine), Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.) and Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.) took control of the race in the first 500 meters and cruised to an easy victory and a berth in the final.

In the final, the crew led the race from start to finish, clocking a 6:05.34 to defeat The Netherlands by 1.88 seconds and Romania by 1.91 seconds. The finish gave the U.S. its first gold medal in the event since Los Angeles.

"Before we left Princeton, we gathered and watched that 1984 race," Whipple said. "I made the call halfway through the race saying that it was just like 1984 and that we couldn't let them down. Then we just motored ahead."

In the women's single sculls, Michelle Guerette (Bristol, Conn.) ¬won the silver medal behind Bulgaria's Rumyana Neykova. Guerette sat in fifth position at the midway point of the race but clocked the fastest final 1,000-meters to come within 0.44 seconds of the gold medal.

The Czech Republic's Mirka Knapkova set the pace for the first half of the race, with Neykova just behind. As Knapkova faltered, the Bulgarian took the lead in the third 500 meters, with two-time Olympic champion Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus stalking her. However, Guerette stayed right with Karsten and rowed through the three-time defending world champion during the final 500 meters. Guerette continued to close on Neykova but ran out of room, crossing the finish line in second. Neykova finished with a time of 7:22.34, with Guerette finishing in a 7:22.78. Karsten took the bronze medal in a 7:23.98.

"That was my best race ever," Guerette said. "I knew that when I was with everyone at the 1,000, that was good. I knew it would be hard for everyone to hold that pace. I held on, held steady in the third 500, and then just took it up a little. I figured I had about 30 hard strokes; it was really about 45. At the end, I was just (saying) ‘Keep it together. Don't let up.' It was better than my best race."

After finishing second in its heat and then winning the repechage, or second-chance race, to advance to the final, the men's eight of coxswain Marcus McElhenney (Lansdowne, Pa.), Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio), Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.), Steven Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.), Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.), Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine), Micah Boyd (St. Paul, Minn.), Matt Schnobrich (St. Paul, Minn.) and Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.) won a bronze medal, missing the silver by 0.23 seconds.

After getting off the line in sixth position, the crew pushed into fourth at the 1,000-meter mark before taking third place from The Netherlands in the third quarter of the race. The U.S. tried to chase down the second-place British crew but fell just short at the line. Canada led the race from start to finish, winning with a time of 5:23.89. Great Britain took second in a 5:25.11, followed by the U.S. in a 5:25.34.

"It's been pretty incredible," Walsh said. "We had a rough heat, but we came together as a team and that's the Olympic spirit. You persevere and you end up on the podium."

New Zealand's Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell repeated as Olympic champions in the women's double sculls, winning the race with a time of 7:07.32. Germany's Christiane Huth and Annekatrin Thiele finished second, followed by Great Britain's Anna Bebington and Elise Laverick. Americans Ellen Tomek (Flushing, Mich.) and Megan Kalmoe (St. Croix Falls, Wis.) finished fifth, clocking a 7:17.53.

In the women's quadruple sculls, the host country won its only gold medal of the rowing competition. China chased down the three-time defending world champions from Great Britain in the final 500 meters to win the race in a 6:16.06. The British held on for the silver medal, with Germany winning the bronze. The U.S. crew of Margot Shumway (Westlake, Ohio), Jennifer Kaido (West Leyden, N.Y.), Lindsay Meyer (Seattle, Wash.) and Lia Pernell (Seattle, Wash.) finished fifth, clocking a 6:25.86.

Poland, the three-time defending world champions, had no trouble winning the men's quadruple sculls. The crew led from start to finish, finishing with a time of 5:41.33 to defeat Italy by 2.24 seconds. France won the bronze medal, while the American boat of Scott Gault (Piedmont, Calif.), Jamie Schroeder (Wilmette, Ill.), Sam Stitt (McLean, Va.) and Matt Hughes (Ludington, Mich.) finished fifth with a time of 5:47.64.

In the men's pair, two-time defending world champions Duncan Free and Drew Ginn of Australia won gold in a 6:37.44. The victory gave Ginn back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the event, having won in Athens with partner James Tomkins. Canada's Scott Frandsen and David Calder won the silver medal, while New Zealand's George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle captured the bronze. Twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Greenwich, Conn.) reached the final off of a second-place finish in their semifinal before finishing sixth in the final in a time of 7:05.58.

Romania's Viorica Susanu and Georgeta Andrunache repeated as Olympic champions in the women's pair. The duo defeated China's Yulan Gao and You Wu by 1.68 seconds to win the gold medal with a time of 7:20.60. Natallia Helakh and Yuliya Bichyk of Belarus won their second consecutive Olympic bronze medal. The U.S. duo of Anna Cummins (Bellevue, Wash.), who also raced in the eight, and Portia McGee (Seattle, Wash.) won the B final for a seventh-place finish overall.

Great Britain won its third consecutive Olympic title in the men's four by turning a 1.50-second deficit into a 1.28-second victory over the final 500 meters. The British clocked a 6:06.57. Australia finished second with a time of 6:07.85, followed by France in a 6:09.31. The U.S. boat of Brett Newlin (Riverton, Wyo.), Giuseppe Lanzone (Annandale, Va.), Paul Teti (Upper Darby, Pa.) and David Banks (Potomac, Md.) finished third in the B final for a ninth-place finish overall.

After finishing third at the 2004 Olympic Games, The Netherlands' Marit van Eupen and Kirsten van der Kolk came back to win the gold medal in the lightweight women's double sculls. The duo chased down Finland's Minna Nieminen and Sanna Sten in the final 500 meters to earn the victory in a 6:54.74. Finland held on for the silver, while Canada's Tracy Cameron and Melanie Kok won bronze. The U.S. boat of Jen Goldsack (Banstead, United Kingdom) and Renee Hykel (Haverford, Pa.) finished fourth in its B final for a 10th-place finish overall.

In the men's single sculls, Norway's Olaf Tufte defended his Olympic title by defeating the Czech Republic's Ondrej Synek by 0.80 seconds. Tufte clocked a 6:59.83 to Synek's 7:00.64. Mahe Drysdale, the three-time defending world champion, won the bronze medal. American Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.) finished fifth in the B final for an 11th-place finish overall.

For the third time in the last four Olympic Games, Denmark won the gold medal in the lightweight men's four. With three-time Olympic champion Eskild Ebbesen in stroke seat, the Danes led the race from start to finish, clocking a 5:47.76 to win the race by 1.63 seconds over Poland. Canada finished third. For the U.S., Tom Paradiso (Blue Bell, Pa.), Will Daly (Vail, Colo.), Patrick Todd (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Mike Altman (Marin County, Calif.) finished fifth in the B final for an 11th-place finish overall.

In the men's double sculls, Scott Brennan and David Crawshay won gold in a 6:27.77, defeating Estonia's Juri Jaanson and Tonu Endrekson by 1.28 seconds. Great Britain's Stephen Rowbotham and Matthew Wells finished third to earn the bronze medal. The U.S. tandem of Elliot Hovey (Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.) and Wes Piermarini (West Brookfield, Mass.) won the C final to finish in 13th overall.

Great Britain's Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase won the gold medal in the lightweight men's double sculls, clocking a 6:10.99 to defeat Greece's Vasileios Polymeros and Dimitios Mougios by 0.73 seconds. Denmark's Rasmus Hansen and Mads Rasmussen took the bronze medal. The U.S. did not have an entry in the event.