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New Canaan's Andrew Campbell Qualifies For Olympics In Double Sculls

NEW CANAAN, Conn. — New Canaan's Andrew Campbell and teammate Joshua Konieczny of Ohio won the lightweight men’s double sculls event Sunday at the U.S. Rowing Trials in Sarasota, Fla., to earn a spot on the U.S. team for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. 

Andrew Campbell, left, and Joshua Konieczny

Andrew Campbell, left, and Joshua Konieczny

Photo Credit: Courtesy of USRowing

Campbell, who is the first Fairfield County athlete to secure a spot on the U.S. team for this summer's Olympics, started his rowing career in Norwalk under Maritime Rowing Club coach Yan Vengerovskiy. 

"It feels so good to put a seal on it," said Campbell. "We've been rowing well together for the last year-and-a-half and to finally see all that work come to a conclusion in this chapter is very rewarding." 

Campbell knows the heartbreak of coming close to fulfilling an Olympic dream but then losing it. He won Olympic trials in the event four years ago, but the boat class was not yet qualified. His dreams were quashed at the final qualification regatta. He did not let that happen again. With the boat qualified, the final task was completed Sunday. 

Campbell and Konieczny, his Cambridge Boat Club partner, won in 6:32.86. 

Austin Meyer of Cohoes, N.Y., and Nick Trojan of Los Alamitos, Calif., were second in 6:37.14. Malta Boat Club’s Colin Ethridge of Laytonsville, Md., and Matt O'Leary of Westwood, Mass., finished third in 6:52.61. 

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