Bordeau Leads Under-23 U.S. National Team Eight to World Championship

BRANDENBURG, Germany ? Dartmouth men's heavyweight crew coach Topher Bordeau returned home with gold as he coached the Under-23 U.S. National Team eight to the top spot on Sunday at the 2008 FISA World Rowing Under-23 Championships.

““I'm really proud to be associated with this crew, just a great bunch of guys to coach,” said Bordeau. “They took ownership of their training and racing right from the start of the camp back in Hanover, and when they got over here (to Germany) it was just a matter of execution. And they mastered that, too. They made winning a world championship look easy.”

After sweeping the heats and the semifinals, the men's eight won the gold medal race by nearly four seconds. Down off the starting line, the U.S. crew gained the lead by the 500-meter mark, with Canada just a few seats behind. At 1,750 meters, the coxswain Daniel Connolly made a call that lifted the U.S. boat out of the water and shot up two seats. The crew sprinted to the end, clocking a 5:49.42 for the win. Canada won silver in a 5:53.30, with Poland in third with a 5:54.57. Germany followed in a 5:5664, with Great Britain and defending champion Estonia in fourth and fifth, respectively. Three members of last year's fourth-place crew returned to this year's lineup - Silas Stafford, Charlie Cole and Alex Osborne.

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