U.S. wins first rowing Olympic gold medal in men’s four class since 1960

A recent Cornell University graduate made Olympic history for Team USA at the 2024 Paris games Thursday, when he and his three teammates won gold in the men’s four rowing event. 

Michael Grady, a 2019 alum, helped the U.S. snap a 64-year gold medal drought in the event by edging out New Zealand by less than a second.

The crew gave it all it had in an extra push near the end, picking up the pace just in time to fend off an attack from their rivals and secure the United States its first rowing gold medal in the men’s four class since the Rome 1960 games. It also marked the first rowing gold for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.

Grady, Liam Corrigan, Justin Best and Nick Mead won the elusive gold on Thursday by beating out New Zealand and defending world champion Britain.

The last time the U.S. men’s four stood on an Olympic podium was in 2012 in London, where it won bronze.

All four Americans who got the gold on Thursday were at the Tokyo Games three years ago but left without any medals. Best, Mead and Corrigan finished fourth in the eight class and Grady finished fifth in the four.

The four rowers have been together since last season, winning silver at the world championships last year and gold at the world cup race in Lucerne earlier this year.

“It’s literally unbelievable,” Corrigan said. “I crossed the line, I thought I was going to have some kind of celebration, but I was just in disbelief, like my hands were on my head. It was just crazy.”

In the men’s double sculls, Sorin Koszyk, a 2020 Cornell graduate, and Ben Davison finished fourth on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.