Coxed Fours, Men

A record 16 nations competed in the coxed fours tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics, making it the largest rowing event in terms of national participation. Three members of France’s entry, Jean Pieddeloup, Gaston Maquat, and Marcel Boigegrain, had been part of the reigning European championship squad. Italy’s lineup, meanwhile, was the same as when they had been runners-up at the 1947 Europeans, and both nations were considered to be strong contenders for the Olympic title. It was the Americans, however, who had the most impressive performance in the opening round, and all three advanced easily to the semifinals. At this juncture, however, the United States took out France by a margin of nearly seven seconds, while the Italians suffered a surprising defeat by almost 11 seconds against Switzerland. The coxed fours were the first rowing final to be contested in London and it did not disappoint: the Swiss took charge early on while the United States and Denmark fought not only against each other, but to catch up to the front runner. After a close struggle, the United States pulled away near the end to capture the gold medal, leaving Switzerland with silver and Denmark with bronze.