The US Men's Eight won its heat in Paris today, posting the fastest time of the regatta so far to lock up a place in Saturday's A Final--and a rematch against the world champion British eight that narrowly edged them at the Lucerne World Cup.

row2k caught up with stroke Pieter Quinton, coxswain Rielly Milne, three seat Christian Tabash, and coach Michael Callahan after the win.

row2k - How did it feel to lay down that piece today and take that win?

Pieter Quinton - We just wanted to execute our best race. We're confident in our speed. We knew it would be a tough one, The Dutch are obviously a strong crew and we knew Romania was going to push us, too. so we were prepared for them to run with us the whole way and it ended being pretty close to that. But we knew that if we got in our rhythm and rowed our race, we'd be in a good spot.

row2k - This seems to be a really race-y crew, so training on your own is probably not as much fun. What was it like to finally get out there and be racing again?

Pieter Quinton - It was fantastic to unleash the crew. We are definitely a crew full of racers and we've been waiting on this moment anxiously. Everyone's been holding back, but today and then on Saturday, are the chances for us to really let it loose and we're very excited about that.

row2k - And do you guys feel like there is more in the tank for the final?

Pieter Quinton - For sure, but the first step is we have got a few days to refine and get ready, and then show our best stuff on Saturday.

row2k - Rielly, as the coxswain, can you tell us a bit about what unfolded in the middle of the race, where you pulled away from the Dutch?

Rielly Milne - We've raced the Dutch before. We knew that they were going to come out swinging, so if we could just run them at the red line for a while and then as soon as we saw a moment of weakness, we were able capitalize. We just stayed on them until it broke and then just kind of naturally we pushed away.

row2k - Pieter told us in the press conference last week that this boat might surprise other folks, but that you haven't surprised yourselves. Can you talk a bit about the confidence in the crew?

Rielly Milne - I feel like we're really level headed. Walking around and in pre-race meetings, you might almost think we're a little too calm, but I think we're just excited to keep racing. This means a lot to us, even if we do keep it calm, and any race rep is great. So that was really good, to get a legitimate race today.

I know that us and Dutch had the the top two first 1000 times of the regatta, so you have to love that, and there's still plenty of days to reload for the final.

row2k - Christian, you raced in Lucerne obviously, but really made your senior team debut here today, at the Olympics. Tell us a bit about what it was like cranking away in the middle of that boat.

Christian Tabash - It's a blast. It's a really familiar boat by now, and that comes with a lot of ease and fun. Obviously the Olympics is a challenge that is new to most of us, but in the same way it just kind of feels like the same old: working hard, keeping our heads down, and trying to make the most of it

row2k - As I said to Pieter, this boat looks like you love to race, so how'd it feel to really get into a really good one out there today, then win it?

Christian Tabash - We just approached this with a ton of excitement. Every time we trained, we had these races in mind, whether it was two races or three, and now it's just two. We're were always building towards it, so we were ready and we did exactly what we prepared for.

row2k: Question for coach Michael Callahan, were you pleased with how they executed today, did you see what you wanted to see?

Michael Callahan - Absolutely. Thinking about it last night, looking over the week, I was thinking that we have eight guys who were going to be on the Olympic starting line for the first time. Clark (Dean) is our only veteran, and he's been giving a lot of wisdom to the group and a lot of confidence.

Their rowing, going into this race, was giving them lots of confidence. We talked a lot last night about doing exactly what we normally do. Don't do more. Don't try to do more. Just be who we are. There was a lot of calmness to it, and there's a lot of true confidence in this group.

We saw how the World Cup played out, and though we didn't get to race against Romanians, I said, I think this is pattern they'll try to row in the beginning. And as for the Dutch, I think these are the adjustments they'll try to make, and we saw those in the beginning.

As it played out, it was a little tight in the beginning, and the blades were in the air a bit more than usual, so I thought, this isn't even our best rowing and we are already in a good spot. Once it calmed down, they'd be able to stretch the boat out and let it breathe a little bit.

row2k - As a coach, how did you like that response they had to the Dutch there in the middle?

I was wondering when we were going to throw the killer punch, but there were a couple of options. Once the Dutch came into that position, I was confident we'd have a response and we did.

row2k - These guys are real racers. Do you have to dial them back a little bit or hold them back? Are they always just ready to go?

Michael Callahan - They're definitely ready to go. On the other hand, it would probably surprised a lot of people how calm and loose they are on the dock and getting ready before a race. I think it would probably worry a lot of coaches how relaxed this crew is, but when they get on the water and as they get closer to the start time they get focused. Even though they are racers, their looseness is one of their strengths.

They just know that winding themselves up doesn't really do anything. When you launch, you've still got 45 minutes to go, so there's no reason to bang the gunnel or anything. It's not the time to use your energy. You're going to have to use all your energy down the course. There's a certain block of energy we have, and we know we have to put it out there on the course

row2k - And would you say these guys race smart?

Michael Callahan - Yeah, in the race plan and in their heads, they know where the options are, and they did a great job today.

Full results from today's racing can be found here, and more information about following the Olympic Regatta is on row2k's Olympics Resources page.