The men's eight was one of four rowing events on the Rowing at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Nations could enter up to two boats (total of 16 rowers and 2 coxswains).Official Report, p. 37. Six boats from five nations competed. The event was won by Leander Club, one of the two British boats. The silver medal went to the Belgian team from Royal Club Nautique de Gand. Bronze medals were awarded to the two semifinal losers; Argonaut Rowing Club of Canada had been defeated by Leander while Britain's second boat, from Cambridge University Boat Club, lost to the Belgians.
Background
This was the third appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The men's eight has been held every time that rowing has been contested, beginning in 1900.
The top eight team in the world at the time was Belgium's Royal Club Nautique de Gand, winners of the European championship in 1906, 1907, and 1908 as well as the Henley Grand Challenge Cup in 1906 and 1907. Their primary challenger in London was the host nation's Leander Club, winners of the Grand Challenge Cup in 1903, 1904, and 1905. Significant absences were the American Vesper Boat Club, the two-time reigning Olympic champions, and Great Britain's Christ Church College Boat Club, the 1908 Grand Challenge Cup victors.
Great Britain, Hungary, and Norway each made their debut in the event. Belgium and Canada each made their second appearance, matching the absent United States for most among nations.
Starting list
The following boats and/or rowing clubs participated:
Royal Club Nautique de Gand (colours: red, yellow and black; red and white oars) Argonaut Rowing Club (colours: light and dark blue) Cambridge University Boat Club (colours: light blue) Leander Club (colours: cerise) Pannónia Evezős Egylet/Magyar Evezős Szövetség (colours: red, white and green) Norges Roforbund (colours: red, white and blue)
Competition format
The "eight" event featured nine-person boats, with eight rowers and a coxswain. It was a sweep rowing event, with the rowers each having one oar (and thus each rowing on one side). The course was 1.5 miles in length, with two slight bends near the start and about halfway.Official Report, pp. 237–38.
The 1908 tournament featured three rounds of one-on-one races; with 6 boats in the competition, 2 boats received byes into the semifinals and there were two races in the quarterfinal round. Semifinal losers each received bronze medals.
Schedule
Date Time Round Wednesday, 29 July 1908 13:0015:20 Quarterfinals Thursday, 30 July 1908 13:1515:45 Semifinals Friday, 31 July 1908 15:15 Final
Results
Quarterfinals
All heats were held on Wednesday, 29 July.
Quarterfinal 1
Rank Boat Nation Bow Rowers Stroke Coxswain Time Notes 1 Argonaut Rowing Club Irvine Robertson Geoffrey Taylor Douglas Kertland 8:06.0 2 Norges Roforbund Otto Krogh Annan Knudsen Ejnar Tønsager 8:16.7
Quarterfinal 2
Rank Boat Nation Bow Rowers Stroke Coxswain Time Notes 1 Leander Club Albert Gladstone Henry Bucknall Gilchrist Maclagan 8:10.0 2 Pannónia/Magyar Sándor Kleckner Ferenc Kirchknopf Kálmán Vaskó 8:15.7
Semifinals
Both semifinals were held on Thursday, 30 July.
Semifinal 1
Rank Boat Nation Bow Rowers Stroke Coxswain Time Notes 1 Leander Club Albert Gladstone Henry Bucknall Gilchrist Maclagan 8:12.0 Argonaut Rowing Club Irvine Robertson Geoffrey Taylor Douglas Kertland 8:14.9
Semifinal 2
This race was the only rowing heat in which a British boat was defeated by a visiting nation. In each of the other three events, the two British boats won both semifinals.
Rank Boat Nation Bow Rowers Stroke Coxswain Time Notes 1 Royal Club Nautique de Gand Oscar Taelman Rodolphe Poma Alfred Van Landeghem 8:22.0 Cambridge University Boat Club Frank Jerwood Douglas Stuart Richard Boyle 8:25.9
Final
The final was held on Friday, 31 July.
Leander pulled away again, eventually winning by two lengths in a time of 7 min. 52 sec.
Rank Boat Nation Bow Rowers Stroke Coxswain Time Leander Club Albert Gladstone Henry Bucknall Gilchrist Maclagan 7:52.0 Royal Club Nautique de Gand Oscar Taelman Rodolphe Poma Alfred Van Landeghem 7:57.5
References
Sources