Rowing at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's eight

The men's eight competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia took place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre. It was held from 18 to 24 September.[1] There were 9 boats (81 competitors) from 9 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event.[1] The event was won by Great Britain, the nation's first victory in the men's eight since back-to-back victories in 1908 and 1912; the three total gold medals was second-most among nations behind the United States (with 11). Australia took silver, while Croatia's debut in the men's eight was good for bronze.

Men's eight
at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad
Shirt signed by the Australian 2000 Summer Olympics rowing team
VenueSydney International Regatta Centre
Dates18–24 September
Competitors81 from 9 nations
Winning time5:33.08
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Great Britain
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Australia
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Croatia
← 1996
2004 →

Background edit

This was the 23rd appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The men's eight has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900.[1]

The United States had dominated the event for four decades from the 1920s to the 1950s, but had not won a gold medal at the Olympics since 1964, falling short as the favourites in 1988. The Americans were favoured again in 2000, having won the last three World Championships in 1997, 1998, and 1999. Reigning Olympic champions the Netherlands had not reached a podium since the 1996 Games. Germany was not present; German teams (including the United Team, East, and West) had taken medals at 9 of the past 10 Games.[1]

Croatia made its debut in the event. The United States made its 20th appearance, most among nations to that point.

Competition format edit

This rowing event consisted of nine teams, split into two four- or five-team heats. The course used the 2000 metres distance that became the Olympic standard in 1912 (with the exception of 1948).[2] Each team fielded a boat crewed by eight rowers and a coxswain. Each rower used a single oar, with four oars on each side of the boat. The winner of each heat qualified for the "Final A" (or medal) round. The remaining six teams competed in the repechage round, with the top four from that round qualifying for the "Final A" round. The last two teams in the repechage competed in the "Final B" round.

The final ranking for this event was based on the order of finish in the two finals. The top three of the "Final A" teams earned Olympic medals for placing first, second, and third, while the remaining "Final A" teams placed fourth through sixth, according to their "Final A" finish. The "Final B" competition determined the placement for the last three places (7–9) in the event's final ranking.[3]

Schedule edit

All times are Australian Time (UTC+10)

Date Time Round
Monday, 18 September 2000 11:20 Semifinals
Wednesday, 20 September 2000 10:30 Repechage
Saturday, 23 September 2000 12:00 Final B
Sunday, 24 September 2000 10:30 Final A

Results edit

Semifinals edit

The winner of each heat advanced to the A Final, the remainders went to the repechage.

Semifinal 1 edit

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Silvijo Petriško   Croatia 5:33.33 QA
2 Peter Cipollone   United States 5:35.70 R
3 Merijn van Oijen   Netherlands 5:36.42 R
4 Dumitru Răducanu   Romania 5:36.93 R
5 Gaetano Iannuzzi   Italy 5:39.69 R

Semifinal 2 edit

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Brett Hayman   Australia 5:32.85 QA
2 Rowley Douglas   Great Britain 5:34.47 R
3 Chris Taylor   Canada 5:38.48 R
4 Aleksandr Lukyanov   Russia 5:40.55 R

Repechage edit

The first two in each heat qualified for Final A, while the remainder went to Final B.

Repechage heat 1 edit

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Peter Cipollone   United States 5:43.22 QA
2 Dumitru Răducanu   Romania 5:43.24 QA
3 Chris Taylor   Canada 5:45.18 QB

Repechage heat 2 edit

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time Notes
1 Rowley Douglas   Great Britain 5:38.59 QA
2 Gaetano Iannuzzi   Italy 5:41.23 QA
3 Aleksandr Lukyanov   Russia 5:43.88 QB
4 Merijn van Oijen   Netherlands 5:44.91 QB

Finals edit

Final B edit

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time
7 Chris Taylor   Canada 5:36.30
8 Merijn van Oijen   Netherlands 5:36.63
9 Aleksandr Lukyanov   Russia 5:45.18

Final A edit

Rank Rowers Coxswain Nation Time
  Rowley Douglas   Great Britain 5:33.08
  Brett Hayman   Australia 5:33.88
  Silvijo Petriško   Croatia 5:34.85
4 Gaetano Iannuzzi   Italy 5:35.37
5 Peter Cipollone   United States 5:39.16
6 Dumitru Răducanu   Romania 5:43.89

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Eight, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Why Do We Race 2000m? The History Behind the Distance". World Rowing. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rowing at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eights". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2012.

External links edit