ACOG - News - IBM

(19 July 1996)

Olympic Rowers Anticipate Start of Competition

Although the waters of Lake Lanier lie still at the moment, rowers from 42 countries eagerly anticipate the chance to rock these waters when Olympic competition begin with preliminary heats on Sunday, 21 July.

The 14-medal-event rowing format will host the third largest configuration of athletes in Olympic competition, with 400 men and 206 women set to test their skills against the world's best. For the first time in Olympic competition, lightweight events will make an appearance, including men's and women's lightweight double sculls and men's lightweight coxless four.

While Olympic Games are oftentimes unpredictable and the perfect setting for upsets, the countries expected to dominate the rowing races will be the ever-strong teams from Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy and Canada.

At the 1995 World Championships in Tampere, Finland, Italy finished with five gold medals while Germany added two gold, four silver and three bronze medals to its accolades. The United States came out on top overall with five gold medals and one silver and bronze.

The athletes to watch include women's single sculler Silken LAUMANN from Canada. LAUMANN's bronze performance at Barcelona came after a serious leg injury nearly denied the four-time Olympian a chance to compete. LAUMANN is back in top form ready to capture the gold that eluded her four years ago. In the men's single sculls competition, World Champion Iztok COP of Slovania will look to win his country's first gold but will first need to contend Germany's Thomas LANGE, the returning 1992 gold medalist, and Juri JAASON of Estonia, who currently holds the fastest time in the event (6:37.03), which he clocked at the Lucerne International Regatta in 1995.

In the men's coxless pair, the British team of Steven REDGRAVE and Matthew PINSENT hope to earn their second consecutive gold medal. For REDGRAVE, this feat holds even more importance as he hopes to become the first rower to win four successive Olympic gold medals. REDGRAVE medaled in 1984 as a member of the men's four, and in '88 and '92 in the coxless pairs.

In the always popular eight event, the U.S. women's team is the favorite after capturing the gold at the World Championships. In the men's eight competition, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States are among the top contenders.

The rowing competition begins Sunday with preliminary races in the following events: coxless pair, double sculls, coxless four and single sculls.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Lynne Bragg.



Olympic Factoid
Pin trading was one of the most popular Olympic sports, with more than 1.2 million pins changing hands during the Games in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park.