Coxless Fours, Men

The British quartet of Maxwell Eley, James Macnabb, Robert Morrison, and Terence Sanders were undefeated in the coxless fours since their 1922 victory in the Stewards’ Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta, then the equivalent of a World Championship in the event. Entering London, they were coming off their third of four consecutive victories in the event and were the overwhelming favorites in Paris. In the opening round, however, the best times actually went to the Canadians and the Swiss, although they were in a different heat than the Britons, who were able to conserve their energy in an easy race against France. As there were only four entrants, every nation competed in the final, which Britain led the entire way. The Canadians came close to catching the Britons at the midway point, but the latter was able to win the gold medal with a comfortable margin of almost 4.5 seconds. Canada took home silver and Switzerland, four lengths behind, earned bronze. With mostly different crew members, Switzerland would go on to win the inaugural European championships in the event in 1925 and 1926.