With their triumph in a largely rudderless boat in the middle of a freak snow squall now a part of all-time Head Of The Charles lore, the Men's Great 8 (racing as Tideway Scullers) returns to the Head Of The Charles in 2012. Five veterans of 2009 will again be in the boat in 2012—Mahe Drysdale, Alan Campbell, Lassi Karonen, Marcel Hacker and Iztok Cop. Ali Williams, 2009 Men's Great 8 coxswain, also returns hoping to make better use of her steering cables at this year's HOCR.
The 2012 Men's Great Eight is full of luminaries from world events over the past decade.
- Fresh off his gold medal performance on Dorney Lake in the XXX Olympiad, Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand returns to the Head Of The Charles not only as reigning Olympic champion, but as defending champion in the Champion Singles event
- Tideway Sculler Alan Campbell of Great Britain joins Drysdale as boatmate and fellow medalist. Campbell won bronze in the single sculls in London this summer in his second Olympics in the single sculls event, and third Olympics overall.
- Lassi Karonen of Sweden placed 4th in the single scull event in London this year, less than one second out of medal position. Karonen has posted impressive performances on the world rowing circuit since 2003, including 6th at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships. A violinist who plays when he can find time outside of training, Karonen brings culture and speed to this lineup.
- Marcel Hacker of Germany returns to the Charles after a year away training for the London Olympics, where he placed 6th in the single scull. Posting an impressive second place performance in the single sculls at the 2010 Head Of The Charles, Hacker brings a wealth of experience, including that gleaned from prior Olympic performances in Beijing, Athens, and Sydney, where he won bronze in the single scull.
- Making a reappearance in a Great Eight on the Charles is Olaf Tufte of Norway, two time gold medal winner in Beijing and Athens in the single scull, and silver medal winner in Sydney in 2000 in the double scull event.
- Joining Tufte in a repeat of this amazing Great Eight, Itzok Cop returns as no stranger to the Charles river. With medal winning performances in the double sculls at three Olympics, including a bronze in London 2012, a silver in Athens 2004, and an Olympic gold in 2000, Cop looks to add more hardware from this 3 mile adventure.
- The youngster in the boat, Aleksandar Aleksandrov of Azerbaijan, has already splashed onto the international scene with a 5th place performance in the single sculls at London this summer.
- The American representative in the boat, 26 year old Philadelphia native Glenn Ochal, won bronze in the coxless four at London this summer. Ochal has spent seven years on the US national team including 4 at the senior level.
These world class athletes compete fiercely on the water, but in this exciting event, they will join together as teammates working toward a common goal in what is sure to be a very speedy race.