Rowing Masters Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Zealand

Alexander Mahé Drysdale is a New Zealand rower, born in Melbourne Australia in 1978. He is an Olympic champion in single sculls with two gold medals in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympiads and a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Games. He has been a five-times gold World Champion and three-times silver World Champion.

In 2021 he announced he is retiring from the sport. In his personal page, he wrote: "The End, after 21 years of having the privilege of wearing the silver fern and representing New Zealand as part of the Rowing New Zealand team, I am today announcing my retirement.

It has been one hell of a ride! While you always dream of ending it with a fairy tale, time has beaten me on this occasion." His name Mahé is taken from the largest island in the Seychelles.

Answer: Greece

Vasileios Polymeros is a Greek rower, born in Volos in 1976. He participated in the lightweight double sculls race in four Summer Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008) and won the bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympiad and the silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympiad, with Nikolaos Skiathitis and Dimitrios Mougios respectively. He also participated in Mediterranean, European and World Rowing Championships, always present in the medal count.
In his personal life, he has a degree in maritime studies and works for the Hellenic Coast Guard.

Answer: United Kingdom

Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave is the absolute monarch of rowing having won gold medals in five consecutive Olympic Games; 1984 Los Angeles in coxed four, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta in coxless pair, and 2000 Sydney in coxless four. In 1988 Seoul he also won a bronze medal in coxed pair. Numerous gold medals in World Championships and Commonwealth Games adorn his palmarès and he is regarded as one of the most decorated and revered British athletes of all times. He was diagnosed with diabetes at age 35 while he was training for the Sydney Olympics and still managed to win his fifth gold medal at the Games.

He was knighted in Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth in 2001 and he is the honorary president of British Rowing.

Answer: USA

John Brendan "Jack" Kelly, Sr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrant parents. He attended technical school and pursued a very successful career as a contractor. He was an accomplished athlete in many sports but he exceled as a rower. He was the first athlete in the history of the Games to win three gold Olympic medals; in 1920 Antwerp two gold medals, in single sculls and double sculls and in 1924 Paris in double scull.
He was the father of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, and John Kelly, Jr., an Olympic rower himself and President of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Answer: Finland

The tall (2.05 metres - 6 feet 9 inches) Finnish rower was a protagonist in World Championships and Olympic Games from 1976 to 1992. He won gold medals in the 1976 Munich, 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, in the single sculls. He had an ongoing rivalry with German rower Peter-Michael Kolbe, alternating on the highest step of the winners' podium, with Karppinen winning in the Olympics and Kolbe in the World Championships. Karppinnen's last participation was in the 1992 Barcelona Games where he placed 10th. Pertti Karppinen is a retired fireman, a rowing coach and the father of rowers.

Answer: Romania

Elisabeta Lipã (maiden name Oleniuc) is among the most enduring and most decorated Olympic rowers, both male and female. She had been rowing on a first-class competitive level for over 20 years and won five gold, two silver and one bronze medals. She started her career in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where she won the gold medal in the double sculls with Marioara Popescu.

In 1992 Barcelona she won gold in single scull and in 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens she won gold in coxed eights.

In 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona she won silver in double sculls and in 1988 Seoul she won bronze in quadruple sculls. She also won numerous medals in World Championships. She served as government official in various posts and as Romania's Minister of Youth and Sport from 2015 to 2017.

Answer: Russia

Vyacheslav Ivanov competed with the Soviet Union and won gold medals in the prestigious single scull event in three consecutive Olympiads; 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo. He also won World and European Championships numerous times and Gold and Diamond Challenges. In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Ivanov was so excited with his win that he jumped into Lake Wendouree resulting in him losing his medal. Divers were called to retrieve it but it was lost. Thankfully, the IOC replaced his gold medal.
He went to military school and was an officer (Captain) of the Soviet Navy.

Answer: Germany

Kerstin Köppen is a two-time Olympic gold winner, in 1992 Barcelona in the double sculls with Kathrin Boron and in 1996 Atlanta in the quadruple sculls with Katrin Rutschow, Jana Sorgers and Kathrin Boron. Initially in her career she was an East German athlete and as such she won her first gold medal in the 1990 World Championship in Lake Barrington, Tasmania.
In 2021 she is married to rowing coach Ralf Holtmeyer.

Answer: USA

A native of Portland, Maine, Eleanor Logan is the first American rower to win gold medal in three consecutive Olympic Games. She won the gold medal in women's eight in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro. She has also won gold, silver and bronze medals in World Championships. She was the Pac-12's Rower of the Century in 2017 and in 2008 she was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame with her gold medal team from the Beijing Olympics.
She has a degree in History from Stanford University and coaches rowing.

Answer: Greece

Born in Ioannina, a city traditionally associated with world-class rowing since it sits on Lake Pamvotida, Stefanos Ntouskos is Greece's first gold medalist in rowing. He won the gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the single sculls. In the 2016 Rio Olympics he competed in the men's lightweight coxless four but being 1,87 m. (6 ft 2 in) tall he could not maintain the desired body weight and moved to the heavier single sculls. "I didn't eat lunch; I didn't eat at night. I chewed ice cubes and chewing gum to forget my hunger. I strained myself, both physically and psychologically, I was afraid I was going to permanently damage my body."