Coxed Pairs, Men

The final of this event was the top race of the Olympic rowing competition. The teams from Castillon and Minerva pulled away to an early lead. Marne lagged behind early but, at the halfway mark, began to close on the Dutch team. Castillon could not keep up its early pace. Although Marne continued to close to the finish, they lost by less than one metre to the Netherlands’ pair.

In this race, the youngest Olympic competitor ever took part. In the heats, the Dutch pair of François Brandt and Roelof Klein qualified easily, coxed by Hermanus Brockmann, but they did not win their heat, losing to Marne. Brandt and Klein decided that Brockmann was too heavy, weighing 60 kg (132 lbs), and they did not wish to pull him along in the boat. The Dutchmen enlisted the services of a young French boy, whose name, despite significant efforts to locate it, has not survived. Pictures of the boy exist, however, and he is usually considered to be between 7 and 10 years of age and weighing about 33 kg (73 lbs), although Dutch Olympic historian Tony Bijkerk thought he was more likely nearer 12 years of age. With the much lighter load, Brandt and Klein won the championship.