For the first time since 1992, a Cornellian has been awarded a gold medal at the Summer Olympics.
Pedro Pablo Morales Jr. J.D. ’94, a swimmer, did it then. Michael Grady ’19 is this year’s gold medal winner, a member of the United States men’s four rowing team, which crossed the finish line in five minutes and 49.03 seconds on Thursday in Paris.
The medal not only breaks a 32-year gold medal drought for Cornellians at the Summer Olympics, but also a 64-year gold medal drought for the U.S. men’s four rowing team. Grady and his fellow oarsmen — Nick Mead, Justin Best and Liam Corrigan — beat out New Zealand and Great Britain.
Grady, who was a member of the heavyweight rowing team at Cornell, joins a highly touted club of Cornellian rowers to medal at any Olympic Games. Grady’s gold is only the eighth medal of any Cornell rower, dating back to 1964.
Before Grady, the Big Red’s most recent rowing medal was a bronze won by Stephanie H. Maxwell-Pierson ’86 in 1992. The last gold? William Arthur Stowe ’62 at the 1964 games, the only other gold medal in rowing by a Cornellian.
The U.S. led from start to finish, but felt New Zealand at its heels in the final 500 meters of the race, which spans 2,000 meters. Prior to Thursday’s race, two heats took place to determine the final field. Both the U.S. and New Zealand won their respective heats, with New Zealand finishing slightly faster.
It was a veteran team, complete with two other Ivy League graduates. Three years ago, Grady helped the U.S. men’s four rowing team finish in fifth in Tokyo. At the same games, Mead (a Princeton graduate), Best (a Drexel graduate) and Corrigan (a Harvard graduate) were a part of the eighth-place finishing U.S. men’s eight rowing team.
The foursome has rowed together for two full years leading up to the coveted race in Paris. Because U.S. rowing typically assigns boats via yearly selections and races, sticking together long term is rare, but an invaluable chance to build chemistry.
In September 2023, the men rowed to silver at the 2023 world championships, an impressive feat but one that led them eager for more.
After beating out New Zealand by just 0.85 seconds on Thursday, Grady and company took care of their unfinished business.
After making history for both Cornell and U.S. rowing, Grady will return home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with new hardware and a story to tell for years to come.