ABOUT THE SPORT: There are 14 events in rowing: eight for men and six for women. Rowers compete in bouyed lanes on a 2,000-meter course with scullers using two oars and sweep rowers using one.
U.S. BEST/SCULL: Both men's and women's lightweight double sculls and the women's quadruple of Danika Holbrook, Kelly Salchow, Hilary Gehman and Michelle Guerette have high expectations. Lisa Schlenker finished fourth at worlds in 2003 and will row with Stacey Borgman in the lightweight double. Steve Tucker and Greg Ruckman in men's lightweight double won the 2003 World Cup and Olympic qualification regatta .
WORLD BEST/SCULL: Germany has swept the men's quadruple sculls at every world championships since the 2000 Olympics. Bulgaria's Rumyana Neykova, the 2000 Olympic silver medalist, will contend with Belarus' Ekaterina Karsten, the 2000 gold medalist and Germany's Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, the bronze medalist, in single sculls. Slovenia's Iztok Cop and Luka Spik, who won gold in 2000, will be the duo to beat in men's doubles. New Zealand's Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell are two-time defending world champions in the women's double sculls. Norway's Olaf Tufte, a two-time world champion and Germany's Marcel Hacker, 2000 bronze medalist, are the best in men's singles.
U.S. BEST/SWEEP: The U.S.' best medal hopes come in the men's and women's eights. The women's eight won World Cup events earlier this year and a gold medal at the 2002 World Championships with a crew of Mary Whipple, Lianne Nelson, Anna Mickelson, Laurel Korholz, Caryn Davies, Alison Cox, Megan Dirkmaat, Sam Magee and Kate Johnson. The men's eight is coming off a second-place finish in the 2003 Worlds with a crew of Pete Cipollone, Bryan Volpenhein, Beau Hoopman, Dan Beery, Jason Read, Joey Hansen, Matt Deakin, Wyatt Allen and Chris Ahrens.
WORLD BEST/SWEEP: Canada has a strong men's program that should compete well in most events, including the two-time world champion men's eight. Germany, Romania, the Netherlands and Canada should be top contenders in the women's eight. Australia's Drew Ginn and James Tomkins, who won the 2003 world championship, are the men's pair to beat. Canada won the 2003 world title in the men's four, and Denmark has dominated the lightweight men's four, winning medals every year since 1994.
DID YOU KNOW? As an EMT, Jason Read (men's eight) worked at Ground Zero as part of the first response team on Sept. 11. Aquil Abdullah (men's double sculls) is the first African American male to compete for the U.S. Olympic team. Ben Holbrook and wife Danika Holbrook both made the team and will compete in the men's and women's quads.
