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Original page — The Meridian Daily, Saturday, 25 July 2026 · No. 14,822

The Meridian DailyThe Field

The quiet dominance of the Amsterdam eight

How a rowing crew from a small Dutch club became the story of this year's world championships.

By Sofia Bergqvist

The Field9

Page 9 of 14 · The printed source, preserved.

The Field

The quiet dominance of the Amsterdam eight

How a rowing crew from a small Dutch club became the story of this year's world championships.

By Sofia Bergqvist 6 min readPage 9

The Amsterdam eight train at an hour of the morning that has no legitimate name. Not dawn — before dawn. The coach calls it 'the useful hour', and refuses to elaborate.

The dock, before first light.
The dock, before first light.1 / 3

"We are not the fastest crew on the water. We are the crew that is still going in the last minute."

Bram de Vries, coxswain

From the boathouse