ACOG - News - IBM

(23 July 1996; Day 4)

BEASLEY Mounts Rowing Comeback of the Day

Originally from New England, crabs are something Cyrus BEASLEY might have stepped on as a child on the beach or ate at a traditional New England clambake. But the "crab" BEASLEY experienced during his repechage on Tuesday, is not a pleasant experience for any rower, especially an Olympic single sculler in the hunt for a medal.

"Halfway through my start my oar went really deep and literally stopped the boat," said BEASLEY, describing what rowers refer to as a "crab". "I had to do another start and get back up to speed."

BEASLEY then mounted the comeback of the day. After he made a final push at the 1000 meter mark, it was a see-saw race to the end with Italy's Giovanni CALABRESE. With 500 meters remaining, BEASLEY knew the winner would be the rower who had more left to give.

"In the final 250 meters, I was only thinking of one thing," said BEASLEY. "I was not going to end my Olympic career now, and I gave it all I had."

BEASLEY kept his Olympic dreams alive as he advanced to the semifinals slated for Thursday, 25 July where he will compete against a field that includes world champion Iztok COP of Slovenia and two-time Olympic gold medalist Thomas LANGE of Germany.

But BEASLEY, three years new to the sport he picked up while at Emory University in Atlanta, is ready for the next step. "It is great to advance. I had a rocky couple of races so far," said BEASLEY. "I need to reverse that momentum. It is a brand new race and I will go out and row it like I know I can."

With his Atlanta ties, BEASLEY has become a hometown favorite at the 1996 Olympic Games and credits the excitement of the crowd for his final surge to win his race on Tuesday. "I have never experienced anything like that before. There is a lot of energy in the stands and it gets under your skin," said BEASLEY. "It helps you do things you wouldn't normally do."

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


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Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.