U.S. Men’s Rowing Team’s Historic Win Shares Close Resemblance To Another Beloved Rowing Squad
Rowing, a sport better known as Crew in the United States, was recently brought to the American forefront by the 2023 movie adaptation of the famous book The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. The book is about eight young men who beat all odds and won gold at the 1936 Olympics during the Depression.
There are some striking similarities between the story of four rowers—Nick Mead, Justin Best, Michael Grady, and Liam Corrigan — that unfolded on August 1st, 2024, at the Paris Olympics and the well-loved true tale The Boys in the Boat.
RELATED: Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman Attend Olympics Skateboarding Competition With Youngest Daughter
U.S. Rowing Gold Medalist Describes Team As “Underdogs”
Regardless of their stellar qualifying times and Team USA’s record-breaking Olympic run, the boat of four still viewed themselves as underdogs. Reason being? Because the U.S. has not won a gold medal in the Men’s Coxless Fours since the Rome Olympics in 1960.
In a post-win interview with TODAY, Justin Best described how they felt before going into the race by quoting Jason Kelce’s Super Bowl speech, but not before adding his own rowing twist by saying:
“A hungry dog runs faster, but in this case, a hungry dog rows faster.”
U.S. Men’s Gold Medal Winners Shed Tears During “Star-Spangled Banner”
Nevertheless, the underdog win is not where the likeness between the 1936 eight and the 2024 four ends. The Boys in the Boat was a crowd favorite due to its patriotism and pro-Americanism. You can see those same feelings on the faces of the 2024 four, who wept at their medal ceremony as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played above them.
Emotional moments as The Star-Spangled Banner rings out for the U.S. men’s four rowing team. 🇺🇸🥇 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/No0KBfqKjy
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 1, 2024
RELATED: U.S. Marine Will Wrestle in Olympics for 1st Time in 29 Years
Mead, Best, Grady, and Corrigan’s post-race response to winning Olympic gold and hearing their National Anthem will not be soon forgotten by them or anyone who rooted for Team USA. Watch their emotional reaction in the video above, and then check out their post-race interview in the clip below.