The US women’s four team had another successful World Rowing Championships placing second, five seconds behind the winning British team, on Friday in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Kristine O’Brien had been part of the gold medal winning team last summer in this event and was joined by Molly Bruggeman, Emily Huelskamp, and Corinne Schoeller this summer. The US was actually a split second ahead going into the second km before the British boat really pulled ahead.
That would be the only medal for the US in Rotterdam, though several other boats did reach the finals. Mary Jones in the lightweight women’s single sculls finished fourth, missing out on a medal by less than a second. Yohann Rigogne, Thomas Peszek, and Louis Lombardi Jr in the men’s coxed pair finished fifth, five and a half seconds behind third. The lightweight women’s quadruple sculls team of Ashley Amos, Monica Whitehouse, Morgan McGovern, and Emily Schmieg was one of only five boats in the competition. There had been only an exhibition race in Rotterdam for them until the final on Friday where they finish fifth, five seconds behind third. The final US boat in the final A was the lightweight men’s pair team of Andrew Weiland and Peter Gibson. They finished sixth in that event. Continue reading US Women’s Four Team Takes Silver at World Rowing Championships→
The only American in action on Wednesday at the World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands was Colin Ethridge in the lightweight men’s single sculls. Ethridge is competing in the class with the largest number of entrants, 25, and thus that event needs an extra round and had quarterfinals on Wednesday while the rest of the classes were off. Ethridge was second in his heat, just over two seconds behind Ireland, and advanced to the semifinals as one of the top three from his heat.
There are some rowers out there who didn’t get a chance to row at the Olympics, and it’s not because they aren’t some of the best in the world in their class. These rowers are competing in classes that are not a part of the Olympic program and so instead of the Olympics this summer they have been focused on the annual World Rowing Championships. In Olympic years the non-Olympic classes are the only ones who compete at the World Rowing Championships and they are held concurrently with the Junior/Under-23 World Championships. The US has boats in seven classes in the event with heats and repechage rounds being held Sunday through Tuesday.
The setting for the races is pretty unique, an area for rowing seemingly plopped right into the middle of some flat land.
The US wrapped up a remarkable Olympics in the pool where the US won HALF of the events and 33 medals in 32 events. In addition on Saturday there was a gold in rowing and a gold in the long jump. Swimming is done but track and field is kicking into full speed going into a Sunday that features two marquee events in the 100m and the 400m.
Another incredible night for the US in the pool capped off a Friday that featured a medal in fencing that hadn’t happened in 84 years, tennis bronze, a medal for the sixth straight Olympics by a shotgun athlete, and an equestrian bronze. The US also took home medals in archery and boxing on perhaps the most diverse and busiest day of the games for the US. Continue reading Rio 2016 Daily Update – August 12th→
Thursday may be remembered as the day that three Americans who are the greatest Americans ever in their sport, had their signature moment. Kayla Harrison on the judo mat is now not only the only American to ever win gold, she’s won it twice in a row. Simone Biles became the first American woman to win the Olympics all-around and the World Championships all-around (and she has three of those!). And finally in the pool Michael Phelps became the first swimmer ever to win the same event in four straight Olympics and has *22* gold medals now.
Only two golds on Wednesday in the Olympics as the US started the day with an early morning gold in the women’s road time trial thanks to 37-year-old Kristin Armstrong and won a gold to end the day in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay thanks to 19-year-old Katie Ledecky. While the US won two other medals in swimming they also added their second silvers in both diving and fencing.
The US nearly matched their five gold medals from the first three days of the Olympics on Tuesday as some of the biggest names on the team – Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Michael Phelps, and Ryan Lochte all added a gold medal to their resumes. There was the first silver medalist in men’s just since 1992 and the oldest member of the US team won a bronze medal in equestrian at the young age of 52.
Sunday was another strong day for the US with US coming close to gold in both fencing and shotgun before picking up medals. Cycling teased the country with a US rider not even a quarter kilometer from gold, and then swimming brought the house down in the evening with four pairs of swimmers reaching tomorrow night’s finals and, two gold medals, and three other medal. The weather was not great in Rio affecting several events and cancelling the rowing entirely for the day. Catch up on it all and preview Monday in our daily update.
Sunday was another strong day for the US with US coming close to gold in both fencing and shotgun before picking up medals. Cycling teased the country with a US rider not even a quarter kilometer from gold, and then swimming brought the house down in the evening with four pairs of swimmers reaching tomorrow night’s finals and, two gold medals, and three other medal. The weather was not great in Rio affecting several events and cancelling the rowing entirely for the day. Catch up on it all and preview Monday in our daily update.
