Rowing at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's coxless four

The men's coxless four (M4-) competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics took place at the rowing basin on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was held from 18 to 25 July and was won by the team from East Germany.

Background The East German team was the undisputed favourite going into this event. Over the last few years, their rowers had won this class at almost all major regattas. After West Germany won the inaugural world championships in 1962, East Germany won all subsequent events in 1966, 1970, and 1974. Of the last four European Rowing Championships (the event was discontinued after 1973), they won gold in three of four of the events (1967, 1971, and 1973), and bronze in 1969. Other favourites included the Soviet Union and West Germany.

Previous M4- competitions Competition Gold Silver Bronze 1966 World Rowing Championships 1967 European Rowing Championships ? ? 1968 Summer Olympics 1969 European Rowing Championships ? ? 1970 World Rowing Championships 1971 European Rowing Championships 1972 Summer Olympics 1973 European Rowing Championships 1974 World Rowing Championships 1975 World Rowing Championships

Results

Heats

Heat 1 RankRowerCountryTimeNotes 1 Tony BrooksJim MoroneyGary PiantedosiHugh Stevenson 6:15.07 SF 2 Matteo Caglieris Pellegrino Croce Enzo LanzariniNatale Spinello 6:16.10 SF 3 Rumyan Khristov Todor MrankovDimitar Valov Dimitar Yanakiev 6:20.71 SF 4 Ernest GalDumitru GrumezescuNicolae SimionȘtefan Tudor 6:23.12 R 5 Jorma Hurme Erkka Mattila Pekka Pietilä Matti Salminen 6:38.91 R

Heat 2 RankRowerCountryTimeNotes 1 Bernhard Fölkel Wolfgang HorakGabriel Konertz Klaus Meyer 6:15.08 SF 2 Richard Ayling Neil KeronBill Mason David Townsend 6:16.32 SF 3 Paul De Weert Frank Dedecker Johan GhoosJozef Jordaens 6:20.07 SF 4 Martin FeeleyIain KennedyAndy McDonough Jaye Renehan 6:25.57 R 5 Carlos DenariMarcelo GismondiJorge MolinaJuan Tuma 6:49.33 R

Heat 3 The five teams in heat 3 of the elimination round eventually took the first five places in the A final.

RankRowerCountryTimeNotes 1 Siegfried BrietzkeAndreas DeckerWolfgang Mager Stefan Semmler 6:02.55 SF 2 Raul Arnemann Valeriy Dolinin Anushavan Gassan-Dzhalalov Nikolay Kuznetsov 6:05.57 SF 3 David LindstromDes LockGrant McAuleyBob Murphy 6:06.40 SF 4 Rolf Andreassen Arne Bergodd Ole Nafstad Finn Tveter 6:06.70 R 5 Brian Dick Ian Gordon Phil Monckton Andrew van Ruyven 6:13.09 R

Repechage The Norwegian and Argentinian teams changed three seats. The teams from Canada, Romania, and Finland changed all four seats.

RankRowerCountryTimeNotes 1 Ole NafstadArne BergoddFinn TveterRolf Andreassen 6:08.66 SF 2 Andrew van Ruyven Phil Monckton Ian Gordon Brian Dick 6:08.69 SF 3 Nicolae SimionErnest GalȘtefan TudorDumitru Grumezescu 6:09.55 SF 4 Erkka MattilaMatti SalminenJorma HurmePekka Pietilä 6:21.54 5 Martin FeeleyIain KennedyJaye RenehanAndy McDonough 6:29.27 6 Jorge Molina Marcelo Gismondi Juan Tuma Carlos Denari 6:30.56

Semifinals

Heat 1 The East German team swapped seats 3 and 4. The teams from Great Britain and Bulgaria swapped all four seats.

RankRowerCountryTimeNotes 1 Siegfried BrietzkeAndreas DeckerStefan SemmlerWolfgang Mager 5:53.65 SA 2 Andrew van Ruyven Phil Monckton Ian Gordon Brian Dick 5:59.21 SA 3 David LindstromDes LockGrant McAuleyBob Murphy 6:00.82 SA 4 Tony BrooksJim MoroneyGary PiantedosiHugh Stevenson 6:03.79 SB 5 Todor MrankovDimitar YanakievRumyan KhristovDimitar Valov 6:06.58 SB 6 Neil KeronDavid TownsendRichard AylingBill Mason 6:08.71 SB

Heat 2 The teams from the Soviet Union and Belgium changed all four seats. West Germany replaced Klaus Meyer with Klaus Roloff, and only the stroke remained in his seat. Italy changed three seats.

RankRowerCountryTimeNotes 1 Ole NafstadArne BergoddFinn TveterRolf Andreassen 6:02.84 SA 2 Valeriy Dolinin Anushavan Gassan-Dzhalalov Nikolay Kuznetsov Raul Arnemann 6:03.05 SA 3 Bernhard FölkelKlaus RoloffWolfgang HorakGabriel Konertz 6:05.39 SA 4 Nicolae SimionErnest GalȘtefan TudorDumitru Grumezescu 6:07.71 SB 5 Matteo CaglierisEnzo LanzariniNatale SpinelloPellegrino Croce 6:09.76 SB 6 Johan GhoosPaul De WeertJozef JordaensFrank Dedecker 6:18.33 SB

Finals

B final The Bulgarian team changed three of the seats.

RankRowerCountryTime 7 Dimitar ValovDimitar YanakievTodor MrankovRumyan Khristov 6:41.36 8 Tony BrooksJim MoroneyGary PiantedosiHugh Stevenson 6:43.06 9 Nicolae SimionErnest GalȘtefan TudorDumitru Grumezescu 6:43.96 10 Johan GhoosPaul De WeertJozef JordaensFrank Dedecker 6:47.51 11 Matteo CaglierisEnzo LanzariniNatale SpinelloPellegrino Croce 6:48.11 12 Neil KeronDavid TownsendRichard AylingBill Mason 6:53.02

A final For the second time, the Soviet Union changed all four seats. The New Zealand team changed all four seats. The Canadians changed three seats. As expected, East Germany won the gold medal; they had dominated all their races and won their qualifying heat 12 seconds faster than the other heats. The surprise winner of the silver medal was the team from Norway, who left the much more highly rated Soviet Union with bronze.

RankRowerCountryTime Siegfried BrietzkeAndreas DeckerStefan SemmlerWolfgang Mager 6:37.42 Ole NafstadArne BergoddFinn TveterRolf Andreassen 6:41.22 Raul ArnemannNikolay KuznetsovValeriy DolininAnushavan Gassan-Dzhalalov 6:42.52 4 Bob MurphyGrant McAuleyDes LockDavid Lindstrom 6:43.23 5 Brian DickPhil MoncktonAndrew van RuyvenIan Gordon 6:46.11 6 Bernhard FölkelKlaus RoloffWolfgang HorakGabriel Konertz 6:47.44

Notes

References

Volume 1 Part 1 (up to page 279) Volume 1 Part 2 (from page 280) Volume 2 Volume 3