PARIS – Chicago’s Shamier Little ran another blazing second leg for the U.S. 4×400-meter mixed relay team in Saturday’s Olympic finals, but the United States could not hold onto the lead she provided and finished second to the Netherlands.
The American quartet crossed the rain-soaked finish line in 3:07.74, a fraction of a second behind the winners. Mixed relay teams consist of two women and two men.
Little’s silver medal capped off an exceptional day for Illinois athletes in Paris, with medals in three separate events: track & field, tennis and rowing.
At Roland-Garros Stadium, University of Illinois alum Rajeev Ram claimed silver in the men’s doubles with partner Austin Krajicek. The two lost 6-7, 7-6, (10-8) in a hard-fought match against Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
The American pair were subdued when speaking with reporters afterward, as if thinking more about the gold medal they lost instead of the silver ones around their necks.
“Unfortunately we did not quite get the job done when it mattered, but it was a good battle nonetheless,” said Ram, 40, who also won silver in the event at the 2016 Rio Games.
The partners seemed so low-spirited, a reporter asked them if they planned to celebrate the medal.
“Of course, we’ll celebrate,” Krajicek said. “It’s a tough loss today, but we’re super proud. As it sinks in and we wake up tomorrow, happy and proud to represent and bring a medal for our country.”
U.S. rowers Peter Chatain of Winnetka and Glenview native Nick Rusher — who won bronze as part of the men’s eight Saturday — can understand that initial disappointment. After crossing the finish line, several crew members slumped over in their seats and some shook their heads.
Their moods improved considerably, however, after receiving their medals, which have pieces of the Eiffel Tower embedded in them.
“I think going into the Olympic final, you’re racing for gold, so everything you’re doing is trying to put ourselves in the best position to do that,” Chatain said. “You don’t go into a race and say, ‘Oh, let’s go and try to get bronze.’ So, I think immediately right after the race you’re feeling a little sad.”
The disappointment receded, he said, when he received the bronze in front of a cheering crowd that included family and friends. The weight of the medal — both physically and metaphorically — put things into perspective.
He found his parents and girlfriend, Briana Berger, among the spectators after the medal ceremony and had a brief moment to celebrate before rowing back to the boathouse. His teammate lifted him into the stands so he could receive a congratulatory kiss from Berger
“It’s a very unique feeling,” Chatain said. “We’ve just trained for this for so long and now we have this medal to show for it. I think I’m going to go home and be happy for a long time.”
Rusher said the medal ceremony put the moment into perspective for him as well.
Rusher is the fourth Olympic rower in his family and the third to win a medal. Both his parents, Cynthia Eckert and Jack Rusher, are two-time Olympians. Eckert won silver in the women’s four at the Barcelona Games in 1992 and Jack Rusher claimed bronze with the men’s eight in 1988.
HIs sister Alison finished 10th in the quad skulls at the Tokyo Games held in 2021.
“I would have loved to win gold and complete the family collection,” he said. “But I am still proud to wear bronze.”
“Watching my parents cheer in the stands, and watching all my sisters cheer for me, just made me tear up when I got my own medal,” he said. “It’s the most amazing feeling to finally enjoy the childhood dream.”
With the Olympics four years away in Los Angeles, several U.S. rowers indicated their plans to stick around for another cycle. Chatain, who also competed for New Trier High School and Stanford University, said he would like to return to the boat.
He trained for the Paris Games while also working as a machine learning engineer in San Francisco, where he put his master’s degree in computer science to good use. In between grueling training sessions, he worked for tech startup, Ello, an AI-powered reading app that listens and engages kids as they read books aloud.
After he arrived in Paris, his co-workers held a video call with him and presented him with a book that will be available on the app. The book — called “Peter’s Big Race” — talks about how the book’s protagonist, the aforementioned Peter, worked hard to make his country’s team and win a medal.
The book, however, doesn’t reveal how Peter’s race ends. Nor does it mention his plans for 2028.
“You know, that might be how the Ello book ends,” he said, smiling. “But I’m not sure it’s the final chapter in my life or rowing career.”
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
