THE SPORT OF ROWING FISA 2004 DVD Netherlands Men’s Eight (background) 2004 Olympic Silver Medal, Schinias -10°, +25° to -15°, 0-7, 0-9, 0-10 Classical Technique 6 Gerritjan Eggenkamp 6’5” 196cm 205lb. 93kg, 7 Matthijs Vellenga 6’7” 200cm 205lb. 93kg pulled away to two-thirds of a length at the line. By contrast, there was a lot of satisfaction on their faces on the medal podium for a four-year job well done. Besides Florijn and Rienks, the only man ever to win Olympic Gold in both sculling and sweep rowing was Jack Beresford, Jr. in the 1930s.6858 After 1996 Several of the Dutch Olympic Champion Eight retired after Atlanta. For the next quadrennial, the selected boat was the quad, and its record was seventh in 1997, eighth in 1998, fourth in 1999, followed by an Olympic Silver Medal in 2000 in Sydney, with Diederik Simon and Michiel Bartman, 2 and 3 in the 1996 Eight, aboard. Niels van der Zwan rowed 3 and Nico Rienks stroked the 1999 and 2000 Eights. They came in fifth and eighth respectively. 2004 The buildup to Athens resulted in few good results after the quad repeated its Sydney Silver in 2001. In 2003, the year before the next Olympics, the Dutch men’s squad scored ninth in the singles, nineteenth in the doubles, twelfth in the quads, twentieth in the pairs and thirteenth in the eights. For 2004, 1996 Olympic Champions Bartman and Simon moved from stern-pair in the 2003 Quad to the stroke- and bow- seats in the eight, with fellow 2003 Quad- member Gerritjan Eggenkamp in 6. The 2- and 7-seats were Gijs Vermeulen and Matthijs Vallenga, the 2003 nineteenth- place Double, and the remaining three rowers came from the 2003 Eight. Although all had international experience, this crew lacked the pedigree of their 1996 counterparts. Only Bartman and Simon were former medalists, and both were in their late 30s. But the resulting boat was marvelous. In their race in Athens, the Americans pushed out to a length lead before the 1,000 meter mark and stroked it in, never feeling 6858 See Chapter 25. 1906
