Completed Event: Men's Heavyweight Rowing versus Lake Morey Invite (vs. Columbia) on April 27, 2025 ,
Final
Men's Heavyweight Rowing
vs Lake Morey Invite (vs. Columbia)
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Photo by: Justin Lafleur
Big Green to Paris: Billy Bender and Oliver Bub
7/23/2024 8:31:00 PM | Men's Heavyweight Rowing, Peak Performance
Billy Bender '24 and Oliver Bub '20 decided to go for Paris, together, in the men's pair for the upcoming Olympic Games.
Teaming up ended up being a perfect fit.
"A lot of times, you might rely on a pairs matrix [based on rankings] in deciding the boat, but because we had already rowed together, we knew it was a fast combination," said Bender. "We knew we were two of the better guys and had some of the better results from Speed Order that didn't make the eight. So, we jumped in the pair together and trusted that it would go fast."
It certainly did. Even though Bender and Bub never raced together at Dartmouth — they missed each other by one year — they have plenty of racing experience together with the California Rowing Club.
At the midway point of the final of the Olympic trials, Bender and Bub stood fourth, but they surged ahead over the final 1,000 meters, finishing with the top time of 6:54.64 — almost three seconds ahead of second place (6:57.37).
They were Paris bound.
"It came after a pretty long few months of training in Colorado and Sarasota, racing a lot," said Bub. "We were both pushed to our limits. To get it done on the day was pretty special."
Initially after winning trials, it took time to process what they had accomplished. All the hard work paid off.
"In the weeks after we won trials, it was a little bit of disbelief that we would be going to the Olympics," said Bender. "It was all coming really fast, but then it's right back into your routine. Just because it's an Olympic year, it doesn't change your training."
After trials, Bender and Bub went to California Rowing Club — which remember, is where they started rowing together in the first place.
"It didn't feel super different then or in the following weeks," said Bender. "Upon arrival to Paris and the Olympic Village where you have all the best athletes from all over the world, then it's important to try and shut out distractions.
"We want it to feel like a normal race as much as possible."
As part of their training for Paris, Bender and Bub competed in World Cup II in Switzerland from May 24-26. There, they finished fourth in the B final. As Wyatt Allen, Betsy and Mark Gates 1959 Head Coach of Men's Heavyweight Rowing said, it showed they are clearly in the mix.
Speaking of Allen, Bender and Bub called their college coach to see if he would be interested in coaching them in Paris, which he of course was honored to do. To learn more about Allen's story, please click here.
"I can't say enough good things about Wyatt, the Dartmouth Rowing program and the Friends of Dartmouth Rowing," said Bender. "When I committed to Dartmouth, I didn't understand how lucky I was to join the team. I've had absolutely wonderful teammates who have supported me, cheered for me, picked me up when I'm down and pushed me to be better."
Allen brings tremendous experience as a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in the eight.
"Wyatt has a lot of experience with the system, and he has given me a ton of advice," said Bender. "During selection camp, he was calling me every couple days and checking in to see how things were going.
"He always says don't let the highs get too high and the lows get too low."
Everything has come full circle in a number of ways — with Allen coaching the pair, along with Bender and Bub returning to Dartmouth in early June to train.
"It's really good to be back and see how far I've come in the four years since I graduated," said Bub after a morning practice on the Connecticut River.
"Since we qualified the boat in early April, it was back to the basics, really low and long meters," said Bub. "Anywhere from 20k to 24k in the morning, building up our fitness and building up our boat feel."
After training in Hanover, the two headed to Princeton on June 10 with the rest of the men's and women's Olympic rowing team.
"Princeton featured a lot of boats, a lot of competition and a lot of seeing how we stack up against others in terms of times," said Bub.
The team then traveled to Italy on July 5.
"It was my fourth time going to this base camp for training in Europe," said Bub.
Now, they're in Paris with the Olympics quickly approaching. The heats for the men's pair are set for Sunday, July 28 at 5 a.m. Eastern.
Bender and Bub complement each other extremely well, which has helped lead to their success.
"We are very different athletes in our physical capabilities," said Bub. "Hopefully, he feels like he can learn some things from me, and I know I definitely learn a lot from him. The difference between us allows us to see things from the other's point of view. It also leads to really good training; we bounce ideas off each other… and we both move the pair pretty well too."
When asked what got him to this point, Bender said "illogical belief in your abilities."
It also took a relentless determination. When Bender and Bub didn't make the eight initially, they didn't give up. They teamed up and the rest is history.
"It's easy to go home, but it's the guys who refuse to give up who eventually make the team," said Bender. "For every athlete, no matter how good you are, there are going to be times when you're feeling pretty confident about yourself, and there are going to be times when you're questioning if you're good enough or if you're going to make it.
"The guys who make the team and stay on the team for a long time are the guys who never stop doubting themselves."
The belief is there. The ability is there. Now, Bender and Bub have to go out and race like they have countless other times before.
"It's really unusual that you get two guys coming out of the same college program who fit in a small boat together and are able to generate the speed you need to win Olympic trials," said Allen.
"It's a little bit of a cliché, but it's a game of inches," Allen continued. "If they get themselves into the A final [at the Olympics], all bets are off when you're racing for medals."
Billy Bender '24 and Oliver Bub '20 returned to campus in early June to train. We caught up with them at that time to get an update on their training for Paris.
Teaming up ended up being a perfect fit.
"A lot of times, you might rely on a pairs matrix [based on rankings] in deciding the boat, but because we had already rowed together, we knew it was a fast combination," said Bender. "We knew we were two of the better guys and had some of the better results from Speed Order that didn't make the eight. So, we jumped in the pair together and trusted that it would go fast."
It certainly did. Even though Bender and Bub never raced together at Dartmouth — they missed each other by one year — they have plenty of racing experience together with the California Rowing Club.
At the midway point of the final of the Olympic trials, Bender and Bub stood fourth, but they surged ahead over the final 1,000 meters, finishing with the top time of 6:54.64 — almost three seconds ahead of second place (6:57.37).
They were Paris bound.
"It came after a pretty long few months of training in Colorado and Sarasota, racing a lot," said Bub. "We were both pushed to our limits. To get it done on the day was pretty special."
Initially after winning trials, it took time to process what they had accomplished. All the hard work paid off.
"In the weeks after we won trials, it was a little bit of disbelief that we would be going to the Olympics," said Bender. "It was all coming really fast, but then it's right back into your routine. Just because it's an Olympic year, it doesn't change your training."
After trials, Bender and Bub went to California Rowing Club — which remember, is where they started rowing together in the first place.
"It didn't feel super different then or in the following weeks," said Bender. "Upon arrival to Paris and the Olympic Village where you have all the best athletes from all over the world, then it's important to try and shut out distractions.
"We want it to feel like a normal race as much as possible."
As part of their training for Paris, Bender and Bub competed in World Cup II in Switzerland from May 24-26. There, they finished fourth in the B final. As Wyatt Allen, Betsy and Mark Gates 1959 Head Coach of Men's Heavyweight Rowing said, it showed they are clearly in the mix.
Speaking of Allen, Bender and Bub called their college coach to see if he would be interested in coaching them in Paris, which he of course was honored to do. To learn more about Allen's story, please click here.
"I can't say enough good things about Wyatt, the Dartmouth Rowing program and the Friends of Dartmouth Rowing," said Bender. "When I committed to Dartmouth, I didn't understand how lucky I was to join the team. I've had absolutely wonderful teammates who have supported me, cheered for me, picked me up when I'm down and pushed me to be better."
Allen brings tremendous experience as a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in the eight.
"Wyatt has a lot of experience with the system, and he has given me a ton of advice," said Bender. "During selection camp, he was calling me every couple days and checking in to see how things were going.
"He always says don't let the highs get too high and the lows get too low."
Everything has come full circle in a number of ways — with Allen coaching the pair, along with Bender and Bub returning to Dartmouth in early June to train.
"It's really good to be back and see how far I've come in the four years since I graduated," said Bub after a morning practice on the Connecticut River.
The focus of Bender and Bub's training has fluctuated, and has consistently changed leading into race day at the Olympics. It's all following the training plan from USRowing.
"Since we qualified the boat in early April, it was back to the basics, really low and long meters," said Bub. "Anywhere from 20k to 24k in the morning, building up our fitness and building up our boat feel."
After training in Hanover, the two headed to Princeton on June 10 with the rest of the men's and women's Olympic rowing team.
"Princeton featured a lot of boats, a lot of competition and a lot of seeing how we stack up against others in terms of times," said Bub.
The team then traveled to Italy on July 5.
"It was my fourth time going to this base camp for training in Europe," said Bub.
Now, they're in Paris with the Olympics quickly approaching. The heats for the men's pair are set for Sunday, July 28 at 5 a.m. Eastern.
Bender and Bub complement each other extremely well, which has helped lead to their success.
"We are very different athletes in our physical capabilities," said Bub. "Hopefully, he feels like he can learn some things from me, and I know I definitely learn a lot from him. The difference between us allows us to see things from the other's point of view. It also leads to really good training; we bounce ideas off each other… and we both move the pair pretty well too."
When asked what got him to this point, Bender said "illogical belief in your abilities."
It also took a relentless determination. When Bender and Bub didn't make the eight initially, they didn't give up. They teamed up and the rest is history.
"It's easy to go home, but it's the guys who refuse to give up who eventually make the team," said Bender. "For every athlete, no matter how good you are, there are going to be times when you're feeling pretty confident about yourself, and there are going to be times when you're questioning if you're good enough or if you're going to make it.
"The guys who make the team and stay on the team for a long time are the guys who never stop doubting themselves."
The belief is there. The ability is there. Now, Bender and Bub have to go out and race like they have countless other times before.
"It's really unusual that you get two guys coming out of the same college program who fit in a small boat together and are able to generate the speed you need to win Olympic trials," said Allen.
"It's a little bit of a cliché, but it's a game of inches," Allen continued. "If they get themselves into the A final [at the Olympics], all bets are off when you're racing for medals."
Billy Bender '24 and Oliver Bub '20 returned to campus in early June to train. We caught up with them at that time to get an update on their training for Paris.
In early June, Billy Bender and Oliver Bub returned to @dartmouth to train for the Olympics. We caught up with them about how they are gelling as a pair, the beauty of training on the CT River & more!
— Dartmouth Men's Heavyweight Rowing (@BigGreenHeavies) July 24, 2024
Full feature story ➡️ https://t.co/aqwtuuqky1#TheWoods🌲 | #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/zWVeIQu8KG
Dartmouth Men's Heavyweight Rowing: Conor Shahean Mic'd Up
Wednesday, June 04
Men's Heavyweight Rowing at Eastern Sprints Post Race 5-18-25
Wednesday, May 21
Men's Heavyweight Rowing Lake Morey Invitational Post Regatta Interviews 4-27-25
Sunday, April 27
Big Green to Paris: Billy Bender and Oliver Bub
Wednesday, July 24
