Coppola will go to Olympics
NEWS STAFF REPORTS
Updated: 06/27/08 6:33 AM
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- Steve Coppola got his start at the West Side Rowing Club.
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Steve Coppola, a Buffalo native who got his start at the West Side Rowing Club, has been selected for the prestigious eight-man boat that will be looking to defend its Olympic title at the Beijing Olympics in August.
Coppola, 24, will row in the fifth seat of the U. S. eight, which became the first American eight in 40 years to capture a gold medal four years ago in Athens. Coppola, who rowed at Canisius High and Princeton, was part of the U. S. eight that won gold at the World Championships in 2005.
“It’s pretty amazing what he’s accomplished in the rowing world by 24,” said Doug Coppola, his father. “He was the only college undergraduate on the team that won in ’05.”
Coppola, who is 6-foot-8, also competed in the U. S. eights at the worlds in 2006 and 2007. He was in the eight that finished second in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in ’06 and ’07.
Coppola is the first West Side rower to make the U. S. Olympic eight since Don Smith in 1996.
