Trio of Rowers Raced at World Championships
September 05, 2007 | Men's Rowing
A trio of former Badger men's rowers ' Tyler Resch, Beau Hoopman and Matt Smith ' competed in the 2007 FISA World Championships that were held Aug. 26-Sept. 2 in Munich, Germany.
The lightweight men's eight with Tyler Resch (Weyauwega, Wis.) finished fifth in its final. The crew got off the line in sixth position and was never able to challenge for a medal spot, passing Poland in the final few strokes for fifth place. The Netherlands won the race in a 5:42.06, while Germany and Italy claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively. The U.S. finished with a time of 5:51.97.
In the lightweight men's pair, Matt Smith (Woodbridge, Va.) qualified for the B final after the heats and repechages, and then placed fourth in the B final to place 10th overall. The duo sat in fifth position for the first 500 meters before moving into fourth place. The boat challenged the top three crews down the stretch, coming up just short of Canada in the final strokes. Japan won the race in a 6:46.39, with The Netherlands finishing second in a 6:47.34. The U.S. clocked a 6:48.20, finishing 0.39 seconds behind the Canadians.
The men's four that included Olympic gold medalist Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.) also raced in the B final after the early heats and repechages. The boat narrowly missed advancing to the final, finishing fourth in tight semifinal. Then in the B final, Hoopman finished second for an eighth-place finish overall. After getting off the line in third position, the quartet moved into second place as the crews went through the 1,000-meter mark. The U.S. was able to hold off a hard-charging German crew in the final few strokes to finish second. The Czech Republic led the race from start to finish, crossing the line in a 5:59.25. The U.S. finished 1.01 seconds back in a 6:00.26. The race was a critical one for Team USA, because with its top five finish in the B final, the crew earned the U.S. an entry in the men's four at next year's Olympics.
