VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France — Two North Shore Olympians helped row the U.S. men’s eight boat to bronze Saturday, winning the America’s first medal of any color in the event in 16 years.
Winnetka’s Peter Chatain, 24, and Glenview native Nick Rusher, 25, crossed the finish line with their teammates in 5:25.28, just seconds behind winner Great Britain and the second-place Netherlands.
The U.S. crew – which posted the fastest time in the preliminary heats – at first appeared disappointed with their performance, as the rowers slumped over in their seats and some shook their heads. Their moods improved considerably, however, after the medals, which have pieces of the Eiffel Tower embedded in them, were hung around their necks.
“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.
“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.”
Rusher is the fourth Olympic rower in his family and the third to win an Olympic 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.”
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 LA 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.”
