Rowing at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's coxed four

Last updated

Men's coxed four
at the Games of the VIII Olympiad
Rowing pictogram.svg
Rowing pictogram
Venue Argenteuil Basin, Seine
Dates13–17 July
Competitors51 from 10 nations
Winning time7:18.4
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svgFlag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland
Silver medal icon.svgFlag of France.svg  France
Bronze medal icon.svgUS flag 48 stars.svg  United States
←  1920
1928  →

The men's coxed four event was part of the rowing programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. The competition, the fourth appearance of the event, was held from 13 to 17 July 1924 on the river Seine. There were 10 boats (51 competitors, with Switzerland making one substitution) from 10 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. [1] The event was won by Switzerland, the nation's second consecutive victory in the event; the two Swiss victories matched Germany for most among nations to that point. France earned its first medal in the event since 1900 with silver. The United States reached the podium for the second straight Games with a bronze medal. Hans Walter, a member of the Swiss crew in 1920 as well as this year, was the first man to win two medals in the event, and the only one to win two golds.

Contents

Background

This was the fourth appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The coxed four was one of the four initial events introduced in 1900. It was not held in 1904 or 1908, but was held at every Games from 1912 to 1992 when it (along with the men's coxed pair) was replaced with the men's lightweight double sculls and men's lightweight coxless four. [1]

Ten teams, each from a different nation, competed. Norway and Czechoslovakia were also nominated but they did not start. Switzerland was the favourite, having won every edition of the European Championships since 1911 except for 1922 when the French team had the upper hand; Switzerland came second that year. [2] [3] The Swiss were the reigning Olympic champions as well. Also returning from the 1920 Games were the silver-medal Americans and the seventh-place Belgians. Hans Walter, of Switzerland, was the only returning individual.

Hungary, Italy, and Poland each made their debut in the event. Belgium and France each made their third appearance, tied for most among nations to that point.

Competition format

The coxed four event featured five-person boats, with four rowers and a coxswain. It was a sweep rowing event, with the rowers each having one oar (and thus each rowing on one side). The competition used the 2000 metres distance that became standard at the 1912 Olympics and which has been used ever since except at the 1948 Games. [4]

The tournament featured three rounds of competition: semifinals, a repechage, and a final.

Schedule

DateTimeRound
Sunday, 13 July 1924Semifinals
Repechage
Thursday, 17 July 1924Final

Results

There are contradictory sources regarding the Swiss coxswain. The official Olympic record lists Walter Loosli as having coxed the team in all their three races. [5] Other Olympic results lists show Émile Lachapelle as the Swiss cox. This page reflects how the results are displayed by the Sports Reference database, where Loosli is shown to have competed on the day of the heats and repechage, and replaced by Lachapelle in the final. [6] [7]

Semifinals

Four heats were rowed on 13 July. The top team from each heat would qualify for the final, with the second placed boat going into the repechage. The third placed boats, in the two heats with three boats, were eliminated. [8]

Semifinal 1

RankRowersCoxswainNationTimeNotes
1 John Kennedy US flag 48 stars.svg  United States 7:19.0Q
2Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 7:29.0R
3 Josep Balsells Flag of Spain (1785-1873 and 1875-1931).svg  Spain 7:34.0

Semifinal 2

RankRowersCoxswainNationTimeNotes
1 Marcel Lepan Flag of France.svg  France 7:10.0Q
2 Harry Barnsley Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 7:21.6R
3 Antoni Brzozowski Flag of Poland (1919-1928).svg  Poland Unknown

Semifinal 3

RankRowersCoxswainNationTimeNotes
1 Massimo Ballestrero Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg  Italy 7:13.0Q
2 Károly Koch Flag of Hungary (1915-1918, 1919-1946; 3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Hungary 7:13.8R

Semifinal 4

In heat 4, the Dutch team beat the favourites from Switzerland in the two-boat-race. Switzerland, with Loosli as their coxswain, went to the repechage. [6]

RankRowersCoxswainNationTimeNotes
1 Louis Dekker Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 7:08.0Q
2 Walter Loosli Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 7:12.2R

Repechage

The repechage was held on the same day as the heats. The top boat advanced to the final, with the other three eliminated. [9] Hungary finished a metre behind, while Belgium was a length behind. [1]

RankRowersCoxswainNationTimeNotes
1 Walter Loosli Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 7:27.2Q
2 Harry Barnsley Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 7:33.0
3 Károly Koch Flag of Hungary (1915-1918, 1919-1946; 3-2 aspect ratio).svg  Hungary Unknown
4Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Unknown

Final

The final was rowed on 17 July. [10] The Dutch team led the race for the first half but then dropped out of the race through exhaustion and did not finish the race. [2] The Swiss team took the gold, followed by France and the United States. The American time is not recorded, but they finished two metres behind. [10] [1]

RankRowersCoxswainNationTime
Gold medal icon.svg Émile Lachapelle Flag of Switzerland.svg  Switzerland 7:18.4
Silver medal icon.svg Marcel Lepan Flag of France.svg  France 7:21.6
Bronze medal icon.svg John Kennedy US flag 48 stars.svg  United States Unknown
4 Massimo Ballestrero Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg  Italy Unknown
— Louis Dekker Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands DNF

Related Research Articles

Émile Henri Lachapelle was a Swiss rowing coxswain and sailor who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics and in the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Émile Knecht was a Swiss rower who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and in the 1952 Summer Olympics. In 1948 he was a crew member of the Swiss boat which won the silver medal in the coxed fours event. Four years later he was eliminated with his partner Peter Stebler in the first round repêchage of the double sculls event.

Jacob Jepsen Barsøe is a Danish rower who won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics and bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, both in the men's lightweight sculls.

The men's coxless four competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia took place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.

The men's lightweight coxless four competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia took place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.

The women's eight competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia took place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.

The women's coxed four rowing competition at the 1980 Summer Olympics took place at Krylatskoye Sports Complex Canoeing and Rowing Basin, Moscow, Soviet Union. The event was held from 21 to 26 July.

Rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Mens coxed four Olympic rowing event

The men's coxed four competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, Australia. It was held from 23 to 27 November and was won by the team from Italy. There were 10 boats from 10 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. Italy had previously won this event in 1928, tying Switzerland for second-most wins among nations. Sweden (silver) and Finland (bronze) each won their first medal in the men's coxed four. Switzerland had its three-Games silver-medal streak broken, without a Swiss crew competing.

The men's coxless four (M4-) competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, California, United States. It was held from 31 July to 5 August and the outcome was wide open due to the Eastern Bloc boycott and thus the absence of the dominating team from the Soviet Union, and previously East Germany. The event was won by the team from New Zealand.

Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Mens coxed four Olympic rowing event

The men's coxed four (M4+) competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, California, United States. There were 8 boats from 8 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. It was held from 30 July to 5 August and the dominant nations were missing from the event due to the Eastern Bloc boycott. Great Britain dominated the regatta, winning the nation's first rowing gold since the 1948 Summer Olympics, back then in front of their home crowd at the Henley Royal Regatta course. The 1984 event started Steve Redgrave's Olympic rowing success that would eventually see him win five Olympic gold medals. It was Great Britain's first victory in the men's coxed four and first medal of any colour in the event since 1912. The other medaling nations had also not been to the podium in the coxed four recently; the United States took silver, that nation's first medal in the event since 1952, while New Zealand's bronze was its first medal since 1968.

Rowing at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Mens coxed four Olympic rowing event

The men's coxed four competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics took place at Mei Bay, Helsinki, Finland. It was held from 20 to 23 August and was won by the team from Czechoslovakia. There were 17 boats from 17 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. The gold medal was Czechoslovakia's first medal in the men's coxed four. Switzerland earned its third consecutive silver medal, and sixth medal in seven Games dating back to 1920. The reigning champion United States took bronze.

Rowing at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Mens coxed four Olympic rowing event

The men's coxed four competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics took place at Virgilio Uribe Rowing and Canoeing Course, Mexico City, Mexico. It was held from 13 to 19 October and was unexpectedly won by the team from New Zealand, which secured the country its first Olympic rowing gold medal. Thirteen teams from 13 nations attended the competition. East Germany earned its first medal in its debut in the event, taking silver. Switzerland took bronze, its first medal in the men's coxed four since 1952.

Rowing at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Mens eight Olympic rowing event

The men's eight competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics took place at Virgilio Uribe Rowing and Canoeing Course, Mexico City, Mexico. It was held from 13 to 19 October and was won by the team from West Germany, with the teams from Australia and the Soviet Union claiming silver and bronze respectively. It was West Germany's first appearance as a separate nation, though the United Team of Germany had won gold in 1960 and silver in 1964, with West Germans making up those teams. The silver medal was Australia's best result yet in the event; the nation had previously taken bronze in 1952 and 1956. The Soviet Union reached the podium in the men's eight for the first time since earning silver in 1952. Twelve teams from 12 nations attended the competition. Five of the teams replaced a total of five rowers during the competition, making for a total of 113 rowers who participated in the races.

Rowing at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Mens coxed four Olympic rowing event

The men's coxed four (M4+) competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics took place at the rowing basin on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was held from 18 to 25 July and was won by the team from Soviet Union. There were 14 boats from 14 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. The victory was the Soviet Union's first medal in the men's coxed four. East Germany took its third consecutive silver medal, with entirely different crews each time. The defending champion West Germany received bronze this time. Hans-Johann Färber, the only rower from the 1972 gold medal team to return, became the fifth man to earn multiple medals in the event.

Rowing at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Mens eight Olympic rowing event

The men's eight competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics, also referred to as men's coxed eight (M8+), took place at the rowing basin on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was held from 18 to 25 July and was won by the team from East Germany. It was East Germany's first victory in the event, improving on a bronze medal in 1972. The defending champions, New Zealand, switched places with the East Germans, taking bronze in 1972. Between them was Great Britain, taking its first men's eight medal since 1948. There were 11 boats from 11 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event.

The women's single sculls (W1x) rowing competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, California, United States. It was held from 30 July to 4 August.

The men's coxless pair (M2-) competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, California, United States. It was held from 30 July to 5 August and the outcome was wide open due to the Eastern Bloc boycott and thus the absence of the dominating team from East Germany. The event was won by the team from Romania.

Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Mens eight Olympic rowing event

The men's eight (M8+) competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics took place at Lake Casitas in Ventura County, California, United States. It was held from 31 July to 5 August. There were 7 boats from 7 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat in the event. New Zealand had won the last two world championships, and the other strong team, East Germany, was absent from the event due to the Eastern Bloc boycott. This made New Zealand the strong favourite. But the final was won by Canada, with the USA and Australia the other medallists, and New Zealand coming a disappointing fourth.

Walter Loosli (1901–?) was a Swiss coxswain. He competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris with the men's coxed four. In the official Olympic record and the FISA database, he coxed all three races. According to the Sports Reference database, Loosli coxed the first heat and the repechage only and was replaced in the final by Émile Lachapelle. The Swiss team won the final.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Coxed Fours, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Heckert, Karlheinz. "Rudern – Europameisterschaften (Herren – Vierer m.Stm.)" (in German). Sport Komplett. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Why Do We Race 2000m? The History Behind the Distance". World Rowing. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Comité Olympique Français. Avé, M. (ed.). Les Jeux de la VIIIe Olympiade Paris 1924 – Rapport Officiel [The Games of the VIIIth Olympiad Paris 1924 – Official Report](PDF) (in French). Paris: Librairie de France. p. 176. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  6. 1 2 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Walter Loosli". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Émile Lachapelle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours Round One". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours Round One Repêchage". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  10. 1 2 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours Final Round". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.