RowingRelated

This week, we're throwing it back to the Olympic Games in Athens, and the final of the men's coxless four. In a regatta that was filled to the brim with excellent racing, this might have been the best of the lot. It features a shocking number of the most successful rowing athletes in international racing history, including Matthew Pinsent , James Cracknell , and Jake Wetzel , and the finish has to be seen to be believed—in the end, the victory for Team GB earned Pinsent his fourth Olympic gold medal, securing his place in the pantheon of world rowing. While the above video includes commentary from each of the rowers in the British four, and helps set the stage for a dramatic final, the below offers look at the race in its entirety. Take a closer look at that New Zealand men's four—does anyone look familiar? Mahé Drysdale is sitting in the two seat, and the boat is stroked by Eric Murray . Mind = blown, right? Have an ideal candidate for #TBT for #FBF next week? Sho...

Yesterday we celebrated a historically great duo in the Abbagnale brothers of Italy with our Video Of The Week. Today, we take a look back into the archives once again: On this date in 2004, one of the defining races of the Athens Olympics, and of Matthew Pinsent's glittering career, took place at Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre. The above video gives an inside look at that Olympic final, which, fittingly, came down to the last stroke. While GB crew had no shortage of household names in rowing, the Canadian crew included three-time Olympian (and two-time medalist) Jake Wetzel . In one of the most dramatic Olympic finishes in the history of our sport, the two crews traded slight leads throughout the final 500 meters of the race, with Great Britain eventually winning the day by 0.08 seconds. In the words of Wetzel , "That 0.08 seconds is 10 years of experience. That's what Matthew Pinsent had that we didn't have." Along with his Canadian national t...

Millenium Bridge to St. Paul's, London (Photo: © B. Kitch) As has been widely observed in rowing circles, particularly in the UK, this date marks exactly six months until the Olympic Games begin in London. Here in the U.S., things remain clear–the first mission of the U.S. men's team will be to qualify the eight for London, and given the talent level in the sweep group right now, we are backing them to do just that. Men's eight coach Mike Teti has mastered the double-taper before, having coached extremely successful U23 boats (most notably last year's world's best time-setting eight), made up of athletes who raced at the IRA regatta at roughly the same time as the qualification regatta will take place this spring. We're expecting him to produce more of the same as he guides his crew through the summer en route to London. And speaking of London, the BBC's Matthew Pinsent has been on an Olympic tour of late, providing photos not only of London venues tha...