Central Catholic graduate has rowing medal in his sights as he preps for 2nd Olympics
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The first time was in Tokyo in 2021, and now this summer, Michael Grady will once again represent his country when he competes in the Paris Olympics as a rower.
This is the Central Catholic graduate’s eighth appearance as a member of Team USA at any level of rowing. That includes numerous USA junior appearances.
The 6-foot-5 Olympian from Bradford Woods competed at Cornell while in college, before his days training with Team USA began in earnest.
Rowing runs in the Grady family. Michael’s father John competed in the sport and also stands well over 6-feet tall.
When Grady travels to France, he also will be following the advice of not only his father, but also Carlos Dinares. Dinares, a former rower himself, is the founder and CEO of RP3 Rowing USA. Grady admires Dinares for his overall enthusiasm toward the sport of rowing.
Grady is excited to be back on the world stage this summer.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to do this,,” Grady said.
Some things have changed, however, since his first trip to the Olympics, Grady said, noting differences within the Team USA rowing squad.
“There were lots of staff changes for this year,” he said. “I also have a new high performance director, which makes the training different.”
The Olympic rowers train in Oakland, Calif.. They have been there all summer long, and for Grady and his teammates, the training can be a bit rigorous at times.
“We are averaging over a marathon per day on the water rowing, along with the other exercise machines we use,” Grady explained.
A marathon per day is a staggering amount of distance, but Grady doesn’t have to cover it alone. He competes with three other rowers in an event known as the coxless four.
Even with three teammates to help keep everyone accountable, Grady said that the training can sometimes feel impossible.
“At times, it can all be mentally draining with all the work that is put in,” Grady stated.
After all that was accomplished last summer by his foursome, Grady realizes that their potential is sky high and could stil reach new levels.
“We were able to get a silver medal last summer at the World Championships in Serbia,” Grady said.
One summer later, Grady and his team are going into these Olympics with a chip on their shoulder, mostly because of what they were not able to accomplish in Tokyo.
“We got no medal at the Olympics for my boat,” Grady said. “Walking away without a medal gives us something to strive for and a little extra motivation as well.”
“The main goal for us as a group is to get a medal and perform to the best of our ability.”