The US Rowing team managed to send a number of crews to the finals, and a trio of Illinois natives will be looking for a gold medal. Ross James and Grant James of DeKalb are a part of the US Rowing Team Men's Eight, which managed to Heat 1 by almost two seconds. According to Ross James, however, the heavy lifting has just begun:
"It's the biggest stage, so there are bigger expectations," Ross James said after the race.
Meanwhile, Sarah Zelenka of Itasca, Illinois, advanced to the Women's Pairs finals. She and teammate Sara Hendershot finished two seconds behind first-place Great Britain.
The US has a chance to overtake East Germany in the 2012 London Olympics by surpassing 33 all-time gold medals. They currently own the record for total medals:
| All-Time Rowing Medals | Gold | Silver | Bronze | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 31 | 31 | 22 | 84 |
| GBR | 24 | 20 | 10 | 54 |
| GDR* | 33 | 9 | 8 | 50 |
| GER | 19 | 11 | 14 | 44 |
| URS | 12 | 20 | 11 | 43 |
| *East Germany |
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