Olympics
U.S. women rowers show their mettle

By Blaine Newnham
Seattle Times associate editor

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES UW graduate Mary Whipple, facing camera, calls out the final strokes for the United States in the finals of the women’s eight yesterday in Athens. The U.S. women won silver.

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ATHENS — Mary Whipple called for more speed.

At the halfway point of yesterday's women's eight-oared rowing final at the Olympic Games, the United States and Romania were virtually seat-for-seat.

"We kept pushing and pushing," said Whipple, the U.S. coxswain. "We were maximizing our speed. But I guess they were, too."

The Americans were trying to become the first U.S. women's eight to win a medal since 1984.

One of the Romanians, Elisabeta Lipa, rowed in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She also was a member of gold-medal eights in Atlanta and Sydney.

"I think we've pushed them harder than they've ever been pushed in an Olympic final," said America's Alison Cox. "I'm proud of that."

As it was, the older, more experienced Romanians — the United States had two undergraduates in its eight — pulled away in the third 500 meters and held the advantage over the final 500 meters to beat the United States by two seconds.

The Americans were far from daunted.

"I'm so proud of the silver," said Seattle's Lianne Nelson, who stroked the crew. "I just hope the people at home are. Losing has never felt so good."

Four years ago in Sydney, Nelson was on a U.S. crew that faded to sixth. She took two years off from rowing to have a baby but couldn't stay away.
 
"This is a really tough group of women," she said. "I enjoyed my experience so much more than I did in Sydney. I'm not sure I took the time to understand the Olympic ideals the way I should have."

With strong tailwinds earlier this year, the Americans set a world record in the preliminaries and won World Cup races in Germany and Switzerland.

"I really think that this was the fastest, cleanest performance we've ever had together," said Whipple, who rowed at the University of Washington with Anna Mickelson, the No. 5 seat in the American boat. "It was inspirational to me; I've never been happier."

The Americans made history. They are the first U.S. crew to win an eight-oared medal at 2,000 meters since the longer race was introduced in Seoul in 1988.

In 1984, when the Americans beat Romania for the gold medal on Lake Casitas near Ventura, Calif., the race was only 1,000 meters.

Like this crew, the '84 boat was heavily influenced by the Seattle rowing scene. Bob Ernst, the Washington coach, was the 1984 U.S. coach. And in that boat were three former Huskies, coxswain Betsy Beard, and rowers Shyril O'Steen and Kristine Norelius.

"They've sent us flowers and even sent us water from Lake Casitas to christen our boat," said Mickelson, who grew up in Bellevue and ran track and played basketball at Newport High.

Mickelson and Whipple, who is from Sacramento, Calif., graduated from Washington in 2002. They both ran up to congratulate the men after their gold-medal triumph, Mickelson hugging the men's No. 5, Matt Deakin.

"I watched him work so hard," she said. "He was commodore of the rowing club at Washington; he was a team leader."

She was also proud of herself.

"I might forget a lot of what happened today," said Mickelson, "but I'll remember the hard work and the practice and what I learned about myself."

The young American crew will be back.

"What Romania has is a lot of experience going to the Olympics and winning golds and silvers, a continuity, " said U.S. eight member Kate Johnson. "Winning is contagious. I'm confident you'll see a lot of these faces again for the U.S., not just for the next quadrennial, but for years to come."

Blaine Newnham: 206-464-2364 or bnewnham@seattletimes.com