Chris Ahrens '98 and his boatmates in the U.S. men's heavyweight eight crew team traveled to Athens with a simple, yet ambitious mission: return their country to glory in their sport's most prestigious race.
Mission accomplished.
After dominating Olympic rowing competitions throughout the first half of the century, the Americans had not taken gold in the men's eight since 1964. But Ahrens and the rest of his crew ended that drought on Aug. 22, winning gold.
For Ahrens and several other members of the crew, the win served as redemption for a disappointing fifth place showing in Sydney in 2000. Ahrens had retired from rowing for three years, before resuming training in September of 2003, making his gold even sweeter.
"I had resigned myself to never winning gold," he said. "So there was a certain amount of disbelief when we crossed the finish line."
In truth, however, the outcome of the race was never in doubt, as the U.S. boat led the final wire-to-wire. After opening up a full shell-length edge at the race's 1000-meter halfway point, the Americans held on for a 1.27-second victory over silver medal-winning Netherlands.
"In the second 500 meters we started to push a bit and the lead just came easily," Ahrens said. "Ironically, it felt like one of the easiest races I've ever had."
In addition to taking home the gold, the Americans left Athens with an Olympic record in their pockets. They smashed the previous mark by 2.95 seconds in their preliminary race with the help of some strong tail winds.
The American men weren't alone in setting a record that day — their female counterparts followed suit. The U.S. women's open eight, featuring Lianne Nelson '95, also benefited from the winds in cutting the Olympic record by half a second and winning its preliminary heat.
Ultimately, however, the U.S. women would fall short in the final. After holding a narrow lead midway through the race, the Americans faded to silver, allowing Romania to take gold.
Andreanne Morin '06 also raced in the women's eight, representing Canada. But the Canadians did not qualify for the grand final, after placing third in its preliminary heat and sixth in the repechage.
Morin, originally Class of 2004, took the past three semesters off from Princeton to train with the Canadian team. She will return this spring to resume her junior year.
The other Princetonian racing for Canada, Thomas Herschmiller '01, fared better. He claimed silver in the heavyweight four, narrowly missing gold. The Canadians led heading into the final 500 meters, but Great Britain caught up and won in a photo finish.
Danika Holbrook '95 also reached a grand final, rowing for the U.S. in the quadruple sculls. Her boat did not medal, finishing sixth, 10 seconds behind gold medal-winning Germany.
Paul Teti '01, whose older brother Mike is the U.S. national team head coach, turned in an impressive first race for the U.S. men's lightweight four.
Teti's boat came in third in the preliminaries. But the Americans finished sixth in the semifinals, ending their medal hopes. They finished third in the consolation final, taking ninth overall.
Since graduating, Teti has lived and trained in Princeton. During that time, he has remained a strong supporter of Princeton rowing.
"He's invested in the team and wants us to do well," said heavyweight rower Steve Coppola '06.
Teti, who also rowed in Sydney in 2000, isn't the only Olympic rower training at Princeton. The U.S. national team uses Lake Carnegie and the Shea Boathouse as its home facility.
As a result, current Tigers spend plenty of time rubbing shoulders with the nation's best, often exercising with them outside scheduled team workouts.
That means that when Princeton rowers tune to the Olympics, they're watching friends on TV.
"It's fun; you sit there and smile," said Coppola, who spent the summer training with the national team. "They're role models, but they're also just normal guys you see and row with everyday."
For those on the national team, giving back to Princeton rowing family is only natural.
"I owe so much to the rowing team at Princeton," Ahrens said. "I hope I can continue to support them for the next 50 years."
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