The Canadian Olympic Men’s Eights competed together as a crew at only one major event prior to the 1984 Olympic Games: the highly acclaimed Rotsee Regatta. At the June event, the team won gold and set a new course record of five minutes 29 seconds, defeating an international field of competitors which included crews from Eastern bloc countries.
At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the Canadian crew won gold in the 2000m event in a time of five minutes 41.32 seconds. It marked the first time Canada had won an Olympic gold medal in the heavy eights, rowing’s premier event. The result also was Canada’s first Olympic rowing medal since 1964 when George Hungerford and Roger Jackson of the Vancouver Rowing Club won gold in pairs.
Five of the eight team members were from British Columbia.
Team Members:
Neil Campbell (coach), Dean Crawford (7), Mark Evans (3), Mike Evans (6), Blair Horn (8), Grant Main (4), Brian McMahon (cox), Kevin Neufeld (2), Paul Steele (5), Pat Turner (bow).