Relentless determination: Two words that tell the story of Billy Bender’s journey to the Paris Olympic Games.
When Bender, who hails from Norwich, and his pair partner, Oliver Bub, didn’t initially make the United States men’s eight Olympic crew, they didn’t give up. They teamed up for the men’s pair, and the rest is history.
“It’s easy to go home, but it’s the guys who refuse to give up who eventually make the team,” said Bender. “For every athlete, no matter how good you are, there are going to be times when you’re feeling pretty confident about yourself, and there are going to be times when you’re questioning if you’re good enough or if you’re going to make it.
“The guys who make the team and stay on the team for a long time are the guys who never stop doubting themselves.”
After finishing fifth in the pair at the 2023 World Rowing Championships to qualify the U.S. boat for the Olympics, Bender had his sights set on making sure he would be going to Paris. He turned his focus to Olympic training instead of competing with the Dartmouth College men’s heavyweight rowing team.
“At that point, it wasn’t even a question if [the Olympics] were possible,” said Bender’s head coach at Dartmouth, Wyatt Allen, who also coached Bender and Bub for the 2024 Olympics. “Billy had made the grand final in arguably one of the most competitive events in the world, so it was pretty easy to say you’re doing the right thing. There’s no way you don’t chase this dream.”
Even though Bender and Bub never raced together at Dartmouth – they missed each other by one year – they have plenty of racing experience together with the California Rowing Club.
Oliver Bub and Billy Bender
Countless hours of training came down to the Olympic trials in April. In the final, Bender and Bub stood fourth, but they surged ahead over the final 1,000 meters, finishing with the top time of 6:54.64 – almost three seconds ahead of second place.
“It’s really unusual that you get two guys coming out of the same college program who fit in a small boat together and are able to generate the speed you need to win Olympic trials,” said Allen.
Bender was Paris bound. “In the weeks after we won trials, there was a little bit of disbelief that we would be going to the Olympics,” said Bender. “It was all coming really fast, but then it’s right back into your routine. Just because it’s an Olympic year, it doesn’t change your training.”
Bender and Bub’s training featured a stop in Hanover during the week of Dartmouth’s Commencement in early June.
“It was a nice moment of closure to watch my class graduate and celebrate them,” said Bender.
Bender, who will return to Dartmouth in 2024-25 to finish his degree and compete with the Big Green, then traveled to Princeton, New Jersey with the U.S. team before the entire team headed to Italy for training prior to Paris. Bender and Bub went on to finish fourth in the B final (10th overall).
“We are very different athletes in our physical capabilities,” said Bub. “Hopefully, he feels like he can learn some things from me, and I know I definitely learn a lot from him. The difference between us allows us to see things from the other’s point of view. It also leads to really good training; we bounce ideas off each other.
“And we both move the pair pretty well too.”
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