Team USA rowing training ahead of the Tokyo Olympics

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OAKLAND – Pressure on the Oakland Estuary on Olympic teams in the men’s eight and four-boats heading to Japan next month has increased.

The rowers went to work Tuesday morning with the Tokyo Games a month away. The rowing begins on the morning of the opening ceremony on July 23rd on the Sea Forest Waterway, where Clayton’s Kara Kohler will begin her week-long quest for medals in the singles sculls.

The events culminate seven days later with the prestigious eight men’s and women’s finals.

The US men have been pulling the oars at the National Training Center in Oakland since 2018 to prepare for the big stage in Tokyo. The men’s eighth hope to return to the podium after finishing fourth at the 2016 Rio Games.

The only holdover from the Rio team is Austin Hack, a Stanford graduate. The helmsman of the crew is Cal alumnus Julian Venonsky. But all Olympians have made the East Bay their home over the years to earn a seat on the Olympic boat.

Now it’s the first time since 2008 to win a medal in the main event. In 2004, the Americans also won a gold medal, the country’s 12th Olympic title overall.

The men four also train in Oakland. In Rio, the four-man crew finished seventh, but won the B-final with a time that would have been enough for a silver medal.

The teams are the only ones representing the United States in men’s rowing. But the women qualified in seven boats, including the eight where they became a dynasty. The US women who train in Princeton, New Jersey, are aiming for their fourth consecutive Olympic title in Tokyo. Meghan Musnicki, 38, is aiming for her third gold medal in the boat.

The women’s foursome returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1992. Stanford graduate Grace Luczak leads the team after starting in Rio in the women’s couple. Cal alumna Kendall Chase is also a member of the crew.

Former Stanford rower Alie Rusher qualified for the four-four. Kohler, a Cal graduate, will compete after nearly quitting the sport when she failed to make it to the 2016 Olympics. Kohler won a bronze medal at the London Games in a four-four and also finished third in the singles at the 2019 World Championships.

American women won four medals at the World Championships in Austria – including two gold medals. The men did not reach the podium. The eight and four teams, led by former Cal trainer Mike Teti, each finished fifth.

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. Men’s Eight Boat Crew participate in a training session in Oakland Calif on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The US men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. Men’s Eight Boat Crew participate in a training session in Oakland Calif on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The US men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Water droplets fall from an oar as members of the U.S. Men’s Eight Boat Crew participate in a training session on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Oakland, Calif. The U.S. men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: U.S. men’s rowing coach Mike Teti gives instructions to his team during a training session on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Oakland, Calif. The US men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and the Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. national rowing team stretch in their boathouse prior to a training session on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Oakland, California. The US men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. Men’s Eight Boat Crew participate in a training session in Oakland Calif Estuary and Briones Reservoir on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. National Team Men’s Eight carry a boat to the dock for a training session on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Oakland Calif. The U.S. men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. Men’s Eight Boat Crew participate in a training session in Oakland, Calif. On Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The U.S. men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 22: Members of the U.S. Men’s Eight Boat Crew participate in a training session in Oakland, Calif. On Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The U.S. men’s Olympic team is based in Oakland and trains in both the Oakland Estuary and Briones Reservoir. (Aric Crabb / Bay Area News Group)

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