Jake Wetzel

Jake Wetzel rowed at the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games, for the United States in 2000, and for Canada in 2004/2008. He won a silver medal with Canada in their four in 2004 and a gold medal in their eight in 2008. At the World Championships, Wetzel won three gold medals, with the US four in 1999, the Canadian four in 2003, and the Canadian eight in 2007.

Wetzel started out in sports as a cyclist and only began rowing in 1997 when he attended U Cal Berkeley. He helped their freshman boat win the eight at the 1998 IRA Championship. He then led Cal to IRA varsity titles in the eight in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

After recovering from a shoulder injury in 2003, Wetzel studied at Oxford in 2005-06, earning a master’s in financial economics from Saïd Business School and Linacre College. While there he helped Oxford win The Boat Race against Cambridge in 2006. Wetzel also raced the Henley Royal Regatta, winning the four in 2003 and the eight in 2007, both times in Canadian crews.

Wetzel retired after the 2008 Olympics and enrolled in a PhD program in finance at the University of British Columbia. He was inducted into the Cal Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 and in 2016 was selected as the Pac-12 Conference Rower of the Century.