Teo Bielefeld

Teo Bielefeld was a Santa Fe, New Mexico native who succeeded in rowing despite a very difficult childhood. His father was an abstract impressionist artist who sent the family to New Mexico when Teo was young, along with his mother. The father was to join them but before he could he overdosed on heroin. Teo’s mother also had a drug habit and he grew up in hippie communes in Santa Fe, but his mother also died of complications from her drug use.

Bielefeld first attended Orange Coast College, and then transferred to UCLA, where he began rowing. He had grown up a vegetarian in the commune, but he bulked up when his coach encouraged him to eat meat to add weight to his very lean physique.

Bielefeld later rowed for the Penn AC. He competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics in the four, just missing out on a medal. Bielefeld also rowed the eight at the 1989, 1990, and 1991 World Championships, also finishing fourth in 1989.

After he left competitive rowing, Bielefeld, who had changed his name to Teo Bielé, became a moviemaker and a chef. He took up tennis and won a New Mexico age group title. He settled back near Santa Fe where he hunted elk with bow and arrow, alongside his poodle, wrote poetry and worked as a massage therapist and rolfer.