- April 25, 2024
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The U.S. Para-Rowing 3 Mixed Coxed Four team of Danielle Hansen, Zachary Burns, Michael Varro and Jaclyn Smith rowed to a second-place finish.
The U.S. Para-Rowing 3 Mixed Coxed Four team of Jennifer Sichel, Danielle Hansen, Zachary Burns, Michael Varro and Jaclyn Smith celebrates its silver-medal performance.
Fans watch rowing action from Nathan Benderson Park's Finish Tower.
U.S. rowers Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe race for second place in the Women's Pair.
U.S. rowers Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe hug after taking silver in the Women's Pair.
New Zealand's Keri Gowler and Grace Prendergast won gold in the Women's Pair.
The U.S. Women's Pair of Tracy Eisser and Megan Kalmoe celebrate their silver medals.
The sellout crowd watches Saturday's action at Nathan Benderson Park.
Italy's gold-medal winning Men's Pair of Giuseppe Vicino and Matteo Lodo test how the medals taste.
Lakewood Ranch's Marion Keisling and Carol Lafortune took in the day's action and had a great time, they said.
The U.S. Lightweight Women's Double Sculls tandem of Michelle Sechser and Emily Schmieg fight for third place.
U.S. fans went all-out to cheer on their country.
Emily Schmieg and Michelle Sechser claim their Lightweight Women's Double Sculls bronze medals.
Emily Schmieg and Michelle Sechser embrace before receiving their Lightweight Women's Double Sculls bronze medals.
With 600 meters to go, the United States Women's Pair (2-) of Megan Kalmoe and Tracy Eisser found itself in a battle for podium position.
It was apparent at that point no one would catch the New Zealand pair of Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast, but second place was still an option. In order to catch it, the U.S. would need to hold off Denmark, and in the process bury any lingering thoughts of last summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
There, both Kalmoe and Eisser were part of the U.S. Women's Quadruple Sculls crew, which finished fifth, off the medal stand. Kalmoe said neither rower was happy with the performance, and wanted to avenge that performance at Nathan Benderson Park, albeit in a different event.
With the jam-packed crowd on their side, they did exactly that, finishing in 7:04.37 and wrestling the silver medals away from Denmark, which finished approximately two seconds later.
"To have someone to duke it out with blow-for-blow down the course was really fun," Kalmoe said. "I think it was extra special to do it in front of this incredible crowd. We were really counting on the grandstands being loud and uplifting and exciting coming into the last 600 meters and it definitely was.
"It's awesome. There's really not much else that's better. This is the reason we do this and work so hard for years and years and put in the time. To come here and have that work pay off in front of the home crowd was really special."
Gowler and Prendergast won with a time of 7:00.53.
Kalmoe and Eisser were not the only U.S. team to reach the medal stand on Saturday.
The Para-Rowing 3 Mixed Coxed Four (4+) team of Danielle Hansen, Zachary Burns, Michael Varro, Jaclyn Smith and coxswain Jennifer Sichel also took silver, finishing their A final in 7:18.80. Great Britian won the event in 6:55.70.
The U.S. Lightweight Women's Double Sculls (2x) tandem of Michelle Sechser and Emily Schmieg (6:56.38) took bronze, less than three-tenths of a second behind silver medalists Jackie Kiddle and Zoe McBride of New Zealand. Gianina-Elena Beleaga and Ionela-Livia Lehaci of Romania took the gold (6:55.88).
Americans now lay claim to four medals overall, after Mary Jones' bronze-medal performance Sept. 29 in the Lightweight Women's Single Scull.
Other winners: Italy won the Men's Pair (2-) in 6:16.22, France won the Men's Lightweight Double Sculls in 6:13.10, Australia took both the Men's Four (4-), in 5:55.24, and the Women's Four (4-), in 6:33.58, the Netherlands won the Women's Quadruple Sculls (4x) in 6:16.72 and Lithuania (5:43.10) closed out the day with a win the Men's Quadruple Sculls (4x).
