Xeno Müller
Encyclopedia
Xeno Müller is a Swiss rower
and Olympic
gold medallist.
His first international appearance was at the 1990 Junior World Rowing Championships
- winning bronze in his single scull (1x).
He first competed at the senior level in 1991, and at the age of 19, finished 11th at the World Rowing Championships
in Vienna in the single scull. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
, he just missed making the finals, finishing fourth in the semi-finals (3 to advance). Müller chose not to start the petite (consolation) finals for places 7 through 12 because of a back injury. In 1994 and 1995, he finished 2nd and 6th, respectively, at the World Championships.
During this period, Müller began studying at Brown University
in the United States. He helped lead Brown to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1993 in the eight man boat. Following this collegiate victory and his subsequent disappointing finish at the 1993 World Championships in the double scull event, Müller decided to concentrate solely on the single scull. This decision created friction between Müller and the then coach at Brown Steve Gladstone
.
In 1994 Müller was the first ever single sculler rowing the 2000 meters in a time way below 6.40. Müller showed a first dominating season in his single with winning the Overall FISA Rowing World Cup and World Cup Races in Paris with a time of 6.38, Lucerne with a new 'Rotsee' record also below 6.40 and the Diamond Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta. Only at the World Championships he was defeated by the German André Willms.
After spending two years in Providence, Rhode Island
attending Brown and rowing his single scull, Müller moved to Newport Beach, California
which offered a better climate for year round training. He also met his future wife in Newport.
Müller won gold in the single scull at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
. Müller won the race with a strong finish. He was 3 seconds down and in fourth place at the 1000 meter mark (half way) and he moved up to third and just 1 second down with 500 meters to go. Müller then launched a devastating drive to the line. He won decisively besting Derek Porter
who had led the whole race, and his childhood hero, and two-time Olympic Champion Thomas Lange
who finished third. Müller's last 500 was the fastest 500 meter split time of the day. His time of 6:44.85 is still the current Olympic record.
Following his Olympic victory, Müller took a year off from rowing. In 1998, he won two World Cup race besting future rival Rob Waddell
. But at the World Rowing Championships, Waddell had the best race of his life pushing Müller back to second. In the pre-season to the 1998 rowing calendar, Waddell set a world record on the indoor rowing machine. In 1999, Waddell went on to sweep the World Cup races and the World Championships, Müller getting second each time.
Leading up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics
, Müller entered World Cup race in Vienna, where he finally beat Waddell after four consecutive second place finishes. Müller did not enter any other preliminary races, and Waddell won the World Cup race in Lucerne. Between the 1996 Olympics and the 2000 Olympics, Müller's record against Waddell was 3 out of 7.
Both Waddell and Müller won all of their preliminary heats leading up to the Olympic finals. In the finals, in addition to his rival two-time reigning World Champion Rob Waddell
, Müller faced former World Champion and Olympic silver medalist Derek Porter
and rising star Marcel Hacker
. It was the closest men's single scull final ever. They battled down the course with the lead changing several times. Müller gained the lead in the last 1000 meters. But Waddell stayed with him. They battled down the course, just a few feet separate them. Gradually Waddell wore Müller down, passing him in the sprint. Despite having a chest cold, Müller continued to hang tough and held on for the silver medal. Hacker finished third and a disappointed Porter finished fourth. Just over two seconds - the length of a boat - separated first from fourth place.
Having lived in the United States
since 1992 (and attending Brown University
) Müller became a naturalized citizen of the United States in early 2004. He then announced he would trial for the US team for the Athens Olympics
. He had won all of the preliminary trial races. However just before the start of the final set of trials, there were a number of high-profile killings of foreigners in Iraq as part of the Iraq War, and Americans were believed to be potential targets for violence at the Olympics by al-Qaeda
. Müller pulled out of the trials saying:
Müller currently runs an indoor rowing studio, called The Iron Oarsman, in Orange County, California and is a goodwill ambassador for the sport of rowing. At this time, he is the sole producer of indoor rowing workout DVDs.
He is married to his wife Erin, and has four children.
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medallist.
His first international appearance was at the 1990 Junior World Rowing Championships
Junior World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31st December of the year in which he reaches the age of 18. After that date, he shall be classified as an Under 23 rower...
- winning bronze in his single scull (1x).
He first competed at the senior level in 1991, and at the age of 19, finished 11th at the World Rowing Championships
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
in Vienna in the single scull. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, he just missed making the finals, finishing fourth in the semi-finals (3 to advance). Müller chose not to start the petite (consolation) finals for places 7 through 12 because of a back injury. In 1994 and 1995, he finished 2nd and 6th, respectively, at the World Championships.
During this period, Müller began studying at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in the United States. He helped lead Brown to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1993 in the eight man boat. Following this collegiate victory and his subsequent disappointing finish at the 1993 World Championships in the double scull event, Müller decided to concentrate solely on the single scull. This decision created friction between Müller and the then coach at Brown Steve Gladstone
Steve Gladstone
Stephen C. Gladstone, or Steve Gladstone as he is better known, is one of the premier rowing coaches in the United States. He currently coaches at Yale University...
.
In 1994 Müller was the first ever single sculler rowing the 2000 meters in a time way below 6.40. Müller showed a first dominating season in his single with winning the Overall FISA Rowing World Cup and World Cup Races in Paris with a time of 6.38, Lucerne with a new 'Rotsee' record also below 6.40 and the Diamond Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta. Only at the World Championships he was defeated by the German André Willms.
After spending two years in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
attending Brown and rowing his single scull, Müller moved to Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
which offered a better climate for year round training. He also met his future wife in Newport.
Müller won gold in the single scull at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. Müller won the race with a strong finish. He was 3 seconds down and in fourth place at the 1000 meter mark (half way) and he moved up to third and just 1 second down with 500 meters to go. Müller then launched a devastating drive to the line. He won decisively besting Derek Porter
Derek Porter
Derek Nesbitt-Porter is a gold medal-winning Olympic rower from Canada. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his father Hugh rowed for the United Kingdom at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in the eight-oared race.Porter won his gold medal in the...
who had led the whole race, and his childhood hero, and two-time Olympic Champion Thomas Lange
Thomas Lange
Thomas Lange is a German rower who won two gold and one bronze Olympic medals in the single scull. He was born in Eisleben....
who finished third. Müller's last 500 was the fastest 500 meter split time of the day. His time of 6:44.85 is still the current Olympic record.
Following his Olympic victory, Müller took a year off from rowing. In 1998, he won two World Cup race besting future rival Rob Waddell
Rob Waddell
Robert "Rob" Norman Waddell, ONZM, is a New Zealand rower, yachtsman and rugby union player. Waddell has one of the highest VO2 max intake levels of any athlete ever tested. He holds the fastest 2000 metre indoor rowing machine time in the world, clocking a time of 5 mins 36.6 secs...
. But at the World Rowing Championships, Waddell had the best race of his life pushing Müller back to second. In the pre-season to the 1998 rowing calendar, Waddell set a world record on the indoor rowing machine. In 1999, Waddell went on to sweep the World Cup races and the World Championships, Müller getting second each time.
Leading up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Müller entered World Cup race in Vienna, where he finally beat Waddell after four consecutive second place finishes. Müller did not enter any other preliminary races, and Waddell won the World Cup race in Lucerne. Between the 1996 Olympics and the 2000 Olympics, Müller's record against Waddell was 3 out of 7.
Both Waddell and Müller won all of their preliminary heats leading up to the Olympic finals. In the finals, in addition to his rival two-time reigning World Champion Rob Waddell
Rob Waddell
Robert "Rob" Norman Waddell, ONZM, is a New Zealand rower, yachtsman and rugby union player. Waddell has one of the highest VO2 max intake levels of any athlete ever tested. He holds the fastest 2000 metre indoor rowing machine time in the world, clocking a time of 5 mins 36.6 secs...
, Müller faced former World Champion and Olympic silver medalist Derek Porter
Derek Porter
Derek Nesbitt-Porter is a gold medal-winning Olympic rower from Canada. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and his father Hugh rowed for the United Kingdom at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in the eight-oared race.Porter won his gold medal in the...
and rising star Marcel Hacker
Marcel Hacker
Marcel Hacker is a German rower. He has won an Olympic bronze medal in 2000 in Sydney and became a world champion in 2002 in Seville.-External links:*...
. It was the closest men's single scull final ever. They battled down the course with the lead changing several times. Müller gained the lead in the last 1000 meters. But Waddell stayed with him. They battled down the course, just a few feet separate them. Gradually Waddell wore Müller down, passing him in the sprint. Despite having a chest cold, Müller continued to hang tough and held on for the silver medal. Hacker finished third and a disappointed Porter finished fourth. Just over two seconds - the length of a boat - separated first from fourth place.
Having lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1992 (and attending Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
) Müller became a naturalized citizen of the United States in early 2004. He then announced he would trial for the US team for the Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. He had won all of the preliminary trial races. However just before the start of the final set of trials, there were a number of high-profile killings of foreigners in Iraq as part of the Iraq War, and Americans were believed to be potential targets for violence at the Olympics by al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. Müller pulled out of the trials saying:
- "When you have three children and a wife and you leave them, then leave them again to go overseas, and you see somebody's head getting cut off ... you start having clouds in your head for why you want to proceed like this, with all the responsibility about traveling, leaving the family, etcetera."
Müller currently runs an indoor rowing studio, called The Iron Oarsman, in Orange County, California and is a goodwill ambassador for the sport of rowing. At this time, he is the sole producer of indoor rowing workout DVDs.
He is married to his wife Erin, and has four children.
Achievements
- OlympicRowing at the Summer OlympicsRowing at the Summer Olympics has been part of the competition since the 1900 Summer Olympics. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the women's events were introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...
Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Silver - World ChampionshipWorld Rowing ChampionshipsThe World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
Medals: 3 Silver - Junior World ChampionshipJunior World Rowing ChampionshipsThe World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31st December of the year in which he reaches the age of 18. After that date, he shall be classified as an Under 23 rower...
Medals: 1 Bronze
Olympic Games
- 2000 - Silver, Single Sculls
- 1996 - Gold, Single Sculls
- 1992 - 12th (DNS Petite finals), Single Sculls
World Championships
- 2001 - 5th, Single Sculls
- 1999 - Silver, Single Sculls
- 1998 - Silver, Single Sculls
- 1995 - 6th, Single Sculls
- 1994 - Silver, Single Sculls
- 1993 - 8th, Double Sculls
- 1991 - 11th, Single Sculls
US Collegiate Rowing
- 1993 - 1st, Varsity 8+ (Brown) Eastern SprintsEastern SprintsEastern Sprints refers to the annual rowing championship for the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges . Since 1974, the "Women's Eastern Sprints" has been held as the annual championship for the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges league.*For the women's regatta, see Women's Eastern...
- 1993 - 1st, Varsity 8+ (Brown) Intercollegiate Rowing Association ChampionshipIntercollegiate Rowing AssociationThe Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
- 1993 - 1st, Varsity 8+ (Brown) National Collegiate Rowing ChampionshipNational Collegiate Rowing ChampionshipThe now defunct National Collegiate Rowing Championship was a quasi-official national championship for men's collegiate rowing, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, between 1983 and 1996. It pitted the winners of the Eastern Sprints, the Pac-10s, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, and the Harvard-Yale...
- 1992 - 1st, Freshman 8+ (Brown) Eastern SprintsEastern SprintsEastern Sprints refers to the annual rowing championship for the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges . Since 1974, the "Women's Eastern Sprints" has been held as the annual championship for the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges league.*For the women's regatta, see Women's Eastern...
- 1992 - 1st, Freshman 8+ (Brown) Intercollegiate Rowing Association ChampionshipIntercollegiate Rowing AssociationThe Intercollegiate Rowing Association runs the IRA Championship Regatta, which is considered to be the United States collegiate national championship of rowing. Since 1995, it has been held on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and includes both men's and women's events for sweep boats...
Henley Royal Regatta
- 1993 - 1st, Ladies' Challenge PlateLadies' Challenge PlateThe Ladies' Challenge Plate is one of the events at Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. Crews of men's eight-oared boats below the standard of the Grand Challenge Cup can enter, although international standard heavyweight crews are not permitted to row in the...
8+ (Brown University) - 1994 - 1st, Diamond Challenge ScullsDiamond Challenge ScullsThe Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England...
1x
External links
- gorow.com - Xeno's personal site
- RowingOne profile
- Video of 1996 Olympic race
- Video of 2000 Olympic race
- Xeno Mueller Ironoarsman