Otago Boys' trio - Beijing bound

31/7/2008

Otago Boys’ High School will be well represented at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, with three sportsmen involved and all very much in line to stand on the podium.

Hamish Bond

In action early will be the men’s rowing four with Hamish Bond (1999-2003) and Carl Meyer (1995-1999) forming 50 percent part of the world champion crew.

The four had a magnificent 2007 season, winning seven out of eight major races including the world title event in Munich. The New Zealanders (Eric Murray and James Dallinger are the other crew members) also broke the British four’s sequence of 29 straight victories.

Hamish was Head Boy in 2003 and has interrupted his university studies to row fulltime, while Carl is a qualified engineer, completing his degree with honours.

Carl rowed at the 2004 Olympics in Athens while this will be the first Olympics for Hamish.

Carl Meyer

The four’s schedule, as per Television New Zealand’s screening times, is –

Saturday, August 9th – heats, 9.30p.m.

Monday, August 11th – repechages, 9.50p.m.

Wednesday, August 13th – semi-finals, 8.50p.m.

Thursday, August 14th – ‘B’ final, 9.50p.m.

Saturday, August 16th – ‘A’ final, 9.30p.m.

Greg Henderson (1990-94), the school’s other representative in Beijing, is now one of this country’s most celebrated cyclists.

Greg will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games, having also been to three Commonwealth Games and a number of world championships.

He was the 2004 UCI scratch race world champion and won the points race gold medal at the

Greg Henderson

2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Greg, in combination with Hayden Roulston, took silver in the Madison event at the 2003 world championships, has finished first in no fewer than eight World Cup events and also has three Commonwealth Games’ bronze medals to his name. He is also a very fine road cyclist with an involvement in the Tour de France almost certain over the next year or two.

Greg finished fourth in the points race at the Athens Olympics and fifth in the same event at the 2008 world championships in March.

He’ll be contesting two events in Beijing.

The 40 kilometre points race will be screened on Television New Zealand at 9.40p.m. on Saturday, August 16th with the Madison, again in combination with Roulston, featuring at 9.30p.m. on Tuesday August 19th.