May 1, 2012

2012 London Olympics rowing site | Klaassen's 2008 Beijing Olympics Blog

History of BU men's rowing at the Olympics

BOSTON - Former Boston University men's crew members Florian Mennigen ('06) and Jozef Klaassen ('07) will return for a second Olympics after being selected to Germany's and the Netherlands' eight boats, respectively. The rowing events will take place July 28-August 4 at the Eton Dorney Rowing Centre on Dorney Lake, which is located 25 miles west of London.

Both men raced at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but came up just short of a medal. Klaassen and Meindert Klem ('10) helped the Dutch Eight take fourth, while Mennigen captained the German Eight to an eighth-place result. Germany is in prime position to earn a medal this time around though, as the crew has won the last three World Championships.

Both Klem and Will Daly ('06) are still in the mix for a spot at the Olympics. A member of the lightweight four boat in Beijing, Daly recently won the lightweight doubles event at the USRowing Non-Qualified Olympic Trials and will now need to finish in the top two at the Final Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland on May 20-23.

Following his appearance on the Dutch Eight at the 2008 Olympics, Klem has rowed the last three World Championships, including last year on the heavyweight four boat. He is currently set to race this weekend at the Belgrade World Cup in the pairs.

While many former Terriers have raced in the Olympics, Ted Nash ('54) and Thomas Moellenkamp ('86) are the only two to have captured a gold medal. A winner in 1960, Nash also rowed at the 1964 Olympics for the United States and would later join the U.S. National Team as a coach. Moellenkamp competed in 1984 and 1988 for Germany and finished first on the second attempt.