Olympic countdown: men’s quadruple sculls

See Martin Cross’s “Dream Crew” and more statistics below.

The Rio Olympics marks 40 years since the men’s quad first featured on the Olympic programme. Since 1976, two nations have made an indelible mark on this boat class, building up consistent results over several decades: Germany and Italy.

Germany remains unequalled in terms of number of Olympic gold medals won – they total three of the four golds won since 1992, with the latest Olympic title claimed at London 2012. Italy follows in second position on the all-time medals table with four Olympic medals earned between 1988 and 2008 – these include two gold, one silver and one bronze.

The German line-up was nearly identical at the 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Andreas Hajek, Andre Willms and Stephan Volkert raced at three successive Olympic Rowing Regattas in the quad, claiming two consecutive Olympic gold medals followed by bronze in Sydney. This helped place the three German scullers in the current list of All-time Top 20 Olympic Rowing Male Athletes. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Volkert and Willms went one step further, racing yet again in the same boat at their fourth straight Games. They finished fifth alongside two other teammates and then retired from their twelve-year Olympic career that had been exclusively dedicated to the quad.

Leading up to Rio, Germany are again in the spotlight. They are the reigning Olympic and World Champions. Not once have they missed a World Championship podium in this Olympic cycle, making them the most predictable boat in the field. All four athletes who won Olympic gold in London are back together this season. Will Tim Grohmann, Lauritz Schoof, Karl Schulze and Philipp Wende make it two in a row in Rio?

Italy’s legendary Agostino Abbagnale is a three-time Olympic Champion. Two of his titles were earned in the men’s quad, while the other was acquired in the double. Twelve years separated his first and second wins in the quad (the first in 1988 and the second in 2000). Abbagnale is one of the top Olympic athletes of all-time, tying in seventh overall. It was, however, in 2010 that Italy last medalled internationally in the quad and at the 2015 World Rowing Championships, Italy did not qualify for Rio.

Between 2005 and 2009 Poland dominated, recording five consecutive wins at the World Rowing Championships and the Olympic Games. They also set a World Best Time in 2006 that held for two years. Poland’s new-look line-up has qualified for Rio.  

Poland’s World Best Time was broken at the Beijing 2008 Olympics by Australia where they also set an Olympic Best Time. While World Best Times have since been re-established, the Aussies’ Olympic Best Time still stands. In 2012, Australia won Olympic bronze and last year at the World Rowing Championships they won silver behind Germany.

The current World Best Time of 5:32.26 was set at the 2014 World Rowing Championships by Ukraine when they won the final. Ukraine last won an Olympic medal in this boat class in 2004, where they took bronze.