THE SPORT OF ROWING the Olympic Gold Medal in the coxless- fours. The Final The New York Times: “Despite the threatening weather, a big crowd gathered for the finals in this little riverside town, once a medieval manor, which was festooned with flags and bunting. Spectators were slow in arriving, but as the sun broke through the clouds early in the afternoon, the stands filled up, and the banks of the river on both sides were crowded with people, while many saw the races from punts motorboats and other small craft.”2244 Ebright: “Finalists with us were Britain [Cambridge University Blue Boat with an Aussie and a Kiwi replaced] and Norway. The weather was better that day, but there had been a lot of rain so the current was very swift, the swiftest of any race day. The confident British were again out of the current under the windward bank. They really went out fast and stretched their lead to over half a length, which they still held at the half way point.”2245 The New York Times: “Beaten off the mark, California refused to carry the stroke up when it found itself jumped by the Cambridge oarsmen, trailing by a quarter- length after the first fifteen strokes and by half a length at the 500-meter mark. “The British were rowing 36 strokes to the minute after a racing start in the forties. The Bears dropped to their usual 32 and stayed there or at 33 for more than the first quarter of the race. “At 500 meters, the Bears put in a big ten strokes. At 750, the British did likewise, and coxswain Purchase called to his mates, ‘Let’s match ‘em!’ “Then the Californians threw in their second and last big ten of the race and went to the front. “Once there, they drew away fast. At about 800 meters, rowing 35 to Britain’s 36, they knew it was their race. “At 1,000 meters, the Americans had an advantage of a few seats. At 1,200, they had a lead of three-quarters of a length, and with each stroke they sent their shell farther to the front, staying at 33 and going across the finish line at that beat, two lengths of open water in front.”2246 Official Report, London 1948: “They went off the mark in a steady rhythm, never hurrying, just rowing like a machine, entirely ignoring the opposition. Racing against the watch the whole way, their final ‘row in’ was a joy to watch. The beat went up quite gradually, and a perfectly balanced tremendously strong eight fairly swept home to win by ten seconds from Great Britain.”2247 The New York Times: “It’s an old habit for the University of California to bring home the bacon for Uncle Sam on the water. This victory, gained by the conclusive margin of three lengths over Britain, with Norway third in the final, marks the third time Ky Ebright sent out the winning Olympic Eight. “The Golden Bears triumphed at Amsterdam in 1928, and in 1932 in Los Angeles they got home one-fifth of a second ahead of Italy. The University of Washington took the championship at Berlin in 1936, and the United States has a record of uninterrupted success in eight-oared rowing since 1920. “Ebright, former Washington coxswain who had coached at Berkeley for a quarter of a century, declared the new Olympic champions to be the best crew he had ever boated. Despite a strong current against 2244 Danzig, op. cit. 2245 Ebright, op. cit. 2246 Danzig, op. cit. 2247 Official Report, London 1948, p. 420 620
