Abby Broughton 05' Wins Bronze Medal In Lightweight Women's Quadruple Sculls

Courtesy of USRowing

POZAN, Poland - In the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls, the crew of Abby Broughton (Tetonia, Idaho), Stefanie Sydlik (Allentown, Pa.), Lindsey Hochman (Seattle, Wash.) and Hillary Saeger (Dedham, Mass.) won bronze in a 6:36.88. In fourth place at the 1,000-meter mark, the U.S. boat edged ahead of third-place Canada with 750 meters to go. Canada responded, gaining back the third-place position by the 1,500-meter mark, but the U.S. charged in the final stretch to cross 0.54 seconds ahead for a podium finish. Germany took the lead from Great Britain at the halfway point, crossing the line first in a 6:32.91 for the gold medal. Great Britain clocked a 6:35.42 for silver. Canada finished fourth in a 6:37.36, with Poland close behind in a 6:37.83 for fifth.

“It all went by so fast,” said Broughton, who finished fifth in the event at the 2006 World Championships. “After the race for lanes, we knew it was going to be anybody’s game today. We had to row our own race.”

“This feels pretty sweet,” said Saeger. “I felt like we had a good shot coming in. This was the race that counted. It felt a whole lot better than the last one. We handled the conditions the best we could, tried to stay relaxed, and just go for it.”