Competitors 114 from 12 nations Dates 13 Oct 1968 – 19 Oct 1968 Venue Xochimilco | Winning time 6:07.00 Location Xochimilco, Mexico Teams 12 | |
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The men's coxed eight competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics took place at Virgilio Uribe Rowing and Canoeing Course, Mexico City, Mexico. It was held from 13 to 19 October and was won by the team from West Germany, beating the teams from Australia and the Soviet Union for the other medal positions.
Contents
Background
The United States had won this event at the last eight of nine Olympics, only missing out in 1960. West Germany was one of the favourites, as they had won the last four European Championships and the last two World Championships (in 1962 and 1966). The Soviet Union had a number of silver medal placings at recent events and were also among the favourites.
Races were held in up to six lanes. Twelve teams from 12 nations attended the competition. Five of the teams replaced a total of six rowers during the competition, making for a total of 114 rowers who participated in the races.
Results
Rowers are shown as per the seats occupied in the official results book published by the Organizing Committee of the Games of the XIX Olympiad.
Heats
Two heats were rowed on 13 October. The winning teams qualified for the final, and the remaining teams progressed to the repechage.
Heat 2
The Official Report of the Organising Committee lists Michael Livingston in seat 7 of the United States boat, but this is incorrect, as he travelled to the 1968 Games as a reserve only. It was his elder brother, Cleve Livingston, who sat in seat 7 for the heat and final.
Repechage
Two heats were rowed in the semi-finals on 15 October. Of the five teams competing per heat, the first two would qualify for the final, while the others would progress to the small final.
Heat 1
In the boat of the United States, Jake Fiechter in seat 6 replaced Cleve Livingston, who had taken seat 7 in the first round. Steve Brooks displaced Arthur Evans as stroke, with the latter moving to seat 7.
Small final
The small final (now termed B final) was raced on 18 October. Great Britain replaced Malcolm Malpass in seat 5 with John Mullard in this race, and Canada replaced John Richardson in seat 5 with Daryl Sturdy. Mexico changed the seats for all rowers apart from the cox, and East Germany changed four of the seats. The Netherlands changed all seats apart from the stroke and the cox.
Final
The final (now termed A final) was raced on 19 October. On the morning of the race, the West German team replaced Roland Böse—who was suffering from angina pectoris and had developed a fever—with Nikolaus Ott in seat 8. The team from Czechoslovakia replaced Milan Hurtala (seat 2) with Karel Kolesa (seat 4), and all the remaining rowers apart from the cox took different seats in the final compared to the two previous races. The team from the United States replaced Arthur Evans with Cleve Livingston in seat 7.
After the medal ceremony, Ott gave his gold medal to Böse, but another medal was later minted for Ott. As per convention, the Olympic results database lists Böse as a medallist based on the fact that he competed in the qualifying race.