Rhodes, Team USA Bring Home Bronze to Close Out World U23 Championships
7/28/2019 2:13:00 PM | Rowing
SARASOTA-BRADENTON, Fla. -- Rising sophomore Jeri Rhodes and the American eight boat (8+) raced their way to a hard-fought bronze medal at the World U23 Championships in a thrilling race on Sunday (July 28), the final event of the international championship event held at Nathan Benderson Park.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Rhodes was a member of the 2018 Junior National Team and attended the 2017 Junior National Team High Performance Camp, but these World Championships marked her first foray into international competition at the U23 level. Rhodes sat in the seventh seat for the American eight, and she rowed in U-M's NCAA bronze medal-winning second varsity eight this spring.
Racing conditions were hot and humid this afternoon, with temperatures in the upper 80s and a feels-like temperature near 100 degrees. Winds were calm but humidity stuck around near 75 percent.
Only five boats competed in the final for the eights, but the scene was an exciting one as this event marked the final race of the weekend after a long championship Sunday chock-full of fast, close races. Germany started in lane one with Romania in lane two and the Netherlands in lane three. The British were in lane four and the U.S. boat raced in lane five on the outside.
Over the first 500 meters, Great Britain took a two-seat lead, but racing was tight across the board with the U.S. and Dutch boats remaining closest behind. The Netherlands continued a strong surge in the early going, pushing Britain for the lead, and the U.S. and Romanian boats were next in line approaching the 1,000-meter mark.Germany remained in contact with the pack but lagged into fifth.
The second 500 for the Dutch put them a up a half-length over Great Britain with the U.S. a similar distance behind the British as the three leaders crossed the halfway point. Romania began to close in on the Americans pushing for third position in the third 500. The U.S. boat responded with a strong move to hold its ground, and out front the Dutch began to put open water on the field as it pushed into the final quarter of the race.
The U.S. continued its pressure on Great Britain, and successfully held off the Romanians in the process, and over the final sprint the Americans gave their best effort to charge into a silver medal. The race for second place was just a two-to-three seat difference, and the strong close from the Americans came up just short as the British held on by .95 seconds. The American bronze medal was a rewarding finish for the host nation to complete a weekend of exceptional racing, as it edged the Romanian boat by .81 seconds across the finish line.
Results
A Final
1. Netherlands -- 6:17.930
2. Great Britain -- 6:22.520
3. United States -- 6:23.470
4. Romania -- 6:24.280
5. Germany -- 6:38.450
Players Mentioned
