Local Olympic athletes are outshining the competition on the third day of rowing competitions.
The U.S. combination of Felice Mueller and Grace Luczak won their opening heat with the largest margin of the event. A native of Gates Mills, Mueller’s journey to the Olympics started at the Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut.
Since winning gold in 2013, Mueller has turned her focus toward Rio. She said they have what it takes to succeed in the Olympics.
“We have been teammates since we were on the 2007 Junior National Team,” Mueller said. “We were in the pair at the Under-23 World Championships and set a world record and won, and now, we’re back together. I’m thrilled to be rowing with her. I usually call the race plan and she knows what I mean. We’ve practiced so many times and visualized that it’s kind of second nature.”
The U.S. crew of Andrew Campbell and Josh Konieczny qualified for the semifinals in second place. Konieczny is a Toledo native and graduated from Toledo's St. John's Jesuit in 2009.
