Temple University Athletics
FORMER TEMPLE OARSMAN JASON READ WINS GOLD IN ATHENS
8.22.04 | Men's Crew
PHILADELPHIA-Former Temple oarsman Jason Read was a member of the American men's elite eight crew that ended a four-decade drought in rowing gold medals on Sunday, pulling out to a big lead and fending off a late charge by the Netherlands to capture Olympic victory. Read stroked the Owls to four Dad Vail Regatta heavyweight eight championships from 1997-2000 under head coach Gavin White.
"It's the first gold medal for the USA after 40 years," said Read. "It was a very difficult race, with good opponents. We tried for the best and we did it."
The Americans had set themselves up as the team to beat by setting a world record in their initial heat a week ago.
They edged Canada in the preliminary, forcing their highly regarded rival to enter the finals through a repechage -- or second-chance race. Canada won that, but seemed to have nothing left in the final, struggling to fifth.
Without the strong tail wind of last week, the U.S. men weren't close to their world-record time of 5 minutes, 19.85 seconds, but had little trouble with the rest of the field. They got off the line quick and turned a half-second lead at 500 meters into a commanding 3.26 at 1,000. From there, it was only a matter of staying strong enough to keep the lead. The Netherlands closed the gap by nearly 2 seconds over the next 1,000 meters but the U.S. never appeared threatened, finishing in 5:42.48.
Read, a member of the U.S. National Rowing Team, has continued to earn sculling success since graduating from Temple with a degree in economics. He placed second in the pairs Silver Goblet Challenge Cup at the Royal Henley Regatta in 2003. Read was also one of 14 finalists for the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award, which recognizes the top amateur athlete in the nation, and U.S. Rowing's Man of the Year after stroking the men's eight to a fourth-place finish at the FISA World Rowing Championships in 2001.
A Ringoes, N.J. native, Read is chief of the Amwell Valley Rescue Co. in New Jersey and was called to the scene of the World Trade Center terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. He spent several days at "ground zero" as part of the rescue effort and was honored for his courage and heroism.
"I think that my colleagues (fire fighters who worked with him at ground zero) will be happy for the country and my boat-mates," added Read. "There is no greater privilege than to represent America during this time. It's a privilege to be here and to be part of the Olympic spirit."
"It's the first gold medal for the USA after 40 years," said Read. "It was a very difficult race, with good opponents. We tried for the best and we did it."
The Americans had set themselves up as the team to beat by setting a world record in their initial heat a week ago.
They edged Canada in the preliminary, forcing their highly regarded rival to enter the finals through a repechage -- or second-chance race. Canada won that, but seemed to have nothing left in the final, struggling to fifth.
Without the strong tail wind of last week, the U.S. men weren't close to their world-record time of 5 minutes, 19.85 seconds, but had little trouble with the rest of the field. They got off the line quick and turned a half-second lead at 500 meters into a commanding 3.26 at 1,000. From there, it was only a matter of staying strong enough to keep the lead. The Netherlands closed the gap by nearly 2 seconds over the next 1,000 meters but the U.S. never appeared threatened, finishing in 5:42.48.
Read, a member of the U.S. National Rowing Team, has continued to earn sculling success since graduating from Temple with a degree in economics. He placed second in the pairs Silver Goblet Challenge Cup at the Royal Henley Regatta in 2003. Read was also one of 14 finalists for the James E. Sullivan Memorial Award, which recognizes the top amateur athlete in the nation, and U.S. Rowing's Man of the Year after stroking the men's eight to a fourth-place finish at the FISA World Rowing Championships in 2001.
A Ringoes, N.J. native, Read is chief of the Amwell Valley Rescue Co. in New Jersey and was called to the scene of the World Trade Center terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. He spent several days at "ground zero" as part of the rescue effort and was honored for his courage and heroism.
"I think that my colleagues (fire fighters who worked with him at ground zero) will be happy for the country and my boat-mates," added Read. "There is no greater privilege than to represent America during this time. It's a privilege to be here and to be part of the Olympic spirit."
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