Terriers Wrap Up Rowing at Beijing Olympics
BU undergrads compete for the Netherlands, take fourth
Two of the five Terriers striving for medals in the rowing competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing came close to fulfilling their dream.
Alumni Will Daly (CGS’04, SMG’06), of the United States, and Florian Menningen (CAS’06), of Germany, and undergrads Jozef Klaassen (SMG’09) and Meindert Klem (CGS’07, CAS’10), of the Netherlands, each rowed for their home country, and two-time Olympic medalist and longtime U.S. National Team coach Ted Nash (DGE’54) was involved as a coach.Klaassen and Klem, rowing in the men’s eight, came closest to snagging medals, finishing in fourth place in Sunday’s final, just four seconds behind the American boat, which took bronze. With Klem in the bow and Klaassen in the fourth seat, the Dutch boat completed the 2000-meter course at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in 5:29.26.
Canada won gold with a time of 5:23.89, and Great Britain took the silver.Menningen was in the sixth seat for the German men’s eight, taking eighth place overall after finishing second in the B final on Sunday.Daly raced for the United States in the lightweight men’s four, rowing from the third seat. The Americans’ medal hopes were dashed after a sixth-place finish in Friday’s semifinal placed them in the B final on Sunday, where they came in fifth. The U.S. team wound up 11th overall in the competition, with Denmark claiming the gold, Poland the silver, and Canada the bronze.Nash coached the U.S. men’s pair of twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The Americans reached the gold medal final on Saturday, but finished sixth in the race as Australia captured the gold, followed by Canada and New Zealand.
Click here to read "BU Oarsmen Reach for Olympic Glory," about the Terriers’ journey to the Olympics.
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