Conal Groom Wins Olympic 1x Trials
MAY 23, 2004
Conal Groom (C'95) pulled ahead of Adam Holland with two strokes left to win the men's single sculls finals at the non-qualified Olympic small boat trials on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
Conal, a two-year captain of the Georgetown lightweight crew who now lives and trains in Seattle, advanced to the Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 13-16. He must earn a spot for the United States to compete in the 1x in Athens in August.
Conal lost to Holland of the Harvard University Boat Club by 0.25 second in the first final on Friday in the best-of-three final format. The race held drama even before the start as recently-naturalized American and 1996 Olympic 1x gold medalist Xeno Muller rowed away from the starting line just moments before the start and announced his retirement. In the race, Conal jumped out to an open water lead, only to watch Holland row through him in the final 300 meters to take the win.
On Saturday, the second final unfolded much like the first. This time, however, Conal held on to win by 0.24 seconds and force a third race on Sunday.
The third and final race on Sunday was the only race of the day, all other events having been decided on Saturday. By the 1000 meter mark, Conal had opened up a one-deck lead on Holland, but with 500 meters to go, the lead had dropped to just a few feet. At 250 to go, Conal was able to move up slightly. With both men sprinting furiously toward the finish line, Holland collapsed into the bow of his boat and barely drifted over the finish line.
"Coming through the [final] 500, I just started putting out everything I had, which I already knew wasn't much," said Conal, who rowed in the lightweight double sculls in the 2000 Olympics.
Conal estimates he was six inches ahead when Holland fell back in his boat. "I think we went a little too fast for the conditions, trying to break each other early in the race," Conal said. "It was just complete exhaustion." His time was 7:09.65 while Holland finished in 7:20.01.
Holland, a 1996 Olympian in the men's pair, admitted he had nothing left. "Your vision just tunnels into nothing," he said. "You're expecting it to be there, and it wasn't."
For photos go to row2k.com
Jeff Anchukaitis (C'01), Brian MacLaughlin (C'03) and Mike Aller (F'99) also competed in the trials in the men’s lightweight double sculls event. Mike made it to the second final, which was won by Steve Tucker and Greg Ruckman.
In other GU Olympic rowing news, Mike Altman, (F'97) is currently stroking the men's lightweight four without. Hilary Gehman, novice women's coach for the past three years, is rowing bow in the women's quad. Mike and Hilary, while named to their respective crews now, must perform well in European regattas over the next month in order to hold onto their seats. The women's quad and men's lightweight four without have already qualified for the Games.
