A drag race of Olympic men’s four proportions

This is the fifth story in World Rowing’s weekly series review of the 14 events from the London Olympic Games rowing regatta. The men’s four is today’s focus.

During the season leading up to London the score sat at one-all between Great Britain’s Alex Gregory, Tom James, Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed and Australia’s William Lockwood, James Chapman, Drew Ginn and Joshua Dunkley-Smith. These two crews had met at two Samsung World Rowing Cups and each had a win.

Fuelled by the sporting rivalry between Australia and Great Britain, the press were loving the banter between these two top crews with the affable Ginn saying the final would be a ‘drag race’ and willing to make bold statements like, “The British will have to have the race of their lives to win.” With Gregory retorting, “What they do doesn’t make any difference to us, nothing they do will change what we do.”

Australia won the four in 1992 and 1996 before Great Britain took over and won at the last three Olympics. Australia wanted the four back.
In London the heats had Great Britain winning one and Australia winning the other with the United States winning the third. Australia’s time was the fastest and set a new Olympic Best Time. Australia and Great Britain then were drawn to face each other in the semifinals. The results of this race had the added importance as the winner would be able to secure the best lane in the final if the weather conditions became tricky.

For three-quarters of the semifinal race Australia led over Great Britain, but in the last quarter the British upped their stroke rate and pushed ahead to finish first. Australia, in contrast, seemed to keep their stroke rate consistent. Has the Australian’s given it their all or did they have a cunning plan in finishing second? The United States continued to look promising by winning the other semifinal.

On finals day weather conditions meant that there was a re-allocation of lanes with Great Britain in lane six, the United States in lane five and Australia in lane four. Right from the start the British had the lead and remained there through the body of the race with a stroke rate a beat or two above that of Australia. Even in the close of the race Great Britain still managed to out-rate their biggest opponents. Great Britain won.

At this year’s Australian Coaches Conference Ginn talked about the Olympic race with a passion and depiction that made the audience feel like they were in the boat. Ginn graphically described the pain, the power, the fight to the line, the entire body screaming ‘STOP’.

The Australian crew knew, from countless training sessions together, that if they tried to increase their stroke rate too much they would go no faster – potentially slower. Holding their rhythm was more important. At the line Ginn, Lockwood, Chapman, and Dunkley-Smith were silver medallist. Disappointed? Ginn admitted, ‘yes’, at first, but then on reflection, Ginn says they gave the race their all and considering what they had managed to build up to over a reasonably short period of time against the formidable British boat, they were satisfied.

Meanwhile Reed, Triggs Hodge and James had become back-to-back Olympic Champions in the four with Gregory winning his first Olympic title.

In third place the United States four of Glenn Ochal, Henrik Rummel, Charles Cole and Scott Gault would be the sole Olympic medal in rowing for the United States men.