A boat of legends - the men's four

The men’s four has produced some of the greatest Olympic races in history, and some of the greatest rowing legends of all time. Great Britain’s Steven Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent; Australia’s Drew Ginn and James Tomkins. These are names that will live on for years to come.

At the past three Olympic Games, the men’s four has been synonymous with one nation: Great Britain. Britain top the all-time Olympic medals table in the men’s four with a total of seven golds, two silvers and one bronze. The first medal was won in 1908, and the last in 2008.

It was in the men’s four at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games that rowing’s legendary Redgrave won his iconic fifth gold medal with crewmates Matthew Pinsent, Tim Foster and James Cracknell. Leading from the start, the boat survived sustained attacks from Australia and Italy to cross the line in 5:56.24.

When Redgrave retired from rowing, Great Britain continued their dominance in the men’s four at the following two Olympic Games. At Athens in 2004, despite three interim years in the men’s pair, Pinsent and Cracknell moved back into the four where they knew the best chance of Olympic gold lay waiting. Steven Williams and Edward Coode completed the line-up for what was arguably one of the greatest men’s four races in Olympic history. In the World Rowing Cups leading up to the Olympic Games, a rivalry had been established between Canada and Great Britain.

Coming in to the final 500m on the Schinias Regatta Course, the fight for gold was on between these two nations, Mike Spracklen’s Canadian four inching ahead of Jürgen Grobler’s British crew at every stroke. With 10 strokes remaining, the crews were neck and neck, just 0.07s separating them at the line. The victory was Great Britain’s, and with it came a fourth Olympic gold medal for Matthew Pinsent.
Steve Williams was the only member of this four to stay on to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Much like the period before the 2004 Olympic Games, the lead-up to the Olympic regatta was turbulent for the British crew. Crew line-ups changed regularly and the selected Olympic crew of Pete Reed, Andrew Triggs-Hodge, Steve Williams and Tom James did not race together internationally until the final stage of the 2008 World Rowing Cup in June where they finished second to The Netherlands. But in Beijing gold yet again went to Britain in the men’s four.

Another nation that proved its worth time and time again in the men’s four is Australia. With two golds, one silver and one bronze medal, the nation is fourth on the all-time Olympics medal table. It knew Olympic glory in Barcelona, at the 1992 Games and in 1996 at the Atlanta Games.

The successful crew, which in addition to Olympic golds also collected World Championship titles, were nicknamed the ‘Oarsome Foursome’. At the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, Andrew Cooper, Nick Green, Mike McKay and James Tomkins won Australia’s first gold medal in this boat class. At the 1996 Olympic Games Regatta in Atlanta, an on-the-rise Drew Ginn replaced Andrew Cooper in the boat and Australia successfully defended their Olympic title.

Although Australia hasn’t won Olympic gold in the four since, it medalled twice again – bronze in Sydney and silver in Beijing.
An incredible 18 years on and now approaching 40 years old, Drew Ginn, after two Olympic golds in the men’s pair, will again spearhead the Australian assault on Olympic gold in the men’s four this summer alongside a recently recommended crew including William Lockwood, James Chapman and Josh Dunkley Smith. Australia came third behind Great Britain and Greece respectively at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia, and will aim to go one or two places better with a more assured crew in the coming season.

Greece, an ever strengthening rowing nation on the international stage, finished second to Great Britain last year in this event by two seconds. Greece were also world silver medallists on Lake Karapiro in 2010. Stergios Papachristos, Ioannis Tsilis, Georgios Tziallas and Ioannis Christou will certainly be a crew to watch this Olympic year and may be the first Greek crew to win an Olympic medal in this boat class later this year.

Great Britain’s chief coach Grobler faces some of his toughest selection decisions yet over the heavyweight men’s sweep squad. Whatever the line-up may be, Great Britain dominated the event last year, the crew of Alex Gregory, Matthew Langridge, Richard Egington and Tom James dominating at the Samsung World Rowing Cup and at the World Rowing Championships. No doubt will they aim to do the same this season.

Did you know?
* The men’s coxless four first appeared at the Olympic Games in St. Louis, United States of America, in 1904. Raced over 3218m, three American crews raced, USA1 taking the first gold medal.
* The United States of America is third in the Olympic medal table, but has not won a medal since 1992, as priority shifted to the men’s eight.
* The current Italian men’s pair Lorenzo Bertini and Niccolo Mornati were in the crew that narrowly lost to Great Britain at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
 

Olympic Medal Table