Darien’s Julia Cornacchia won a bronze medal, while Westport’s Oliver Bub and Lucas Manning also competed for the U.S. in the competition in Rio de Janiero. Five U.S. teams won medals, which tied for second with Italy behind Germany, with 11 medals.
Kynast competed on the women’s four with Dana Moffat, Marlee Blue and Katy Gillingham. The U.S. finished second last year, but with Blue and Moffat back from last year’s team, was able to keep Germany at bay and win the gold.
“In the last heat, we kind of fell apart in the last 500, and I think crossing that 500 today, we knew we weren’t going to let that happen again,” said Kynast, who rows for Connecticut Boat Club in Norwalk.
Liz Trond, Kynast’s coach at CBC, coached the gold-medal winning crew for the U.S. squad.
Cornacchia, Kynast’s teammate at CBC, helped the Women’s 8 capture the bronze as the crew surged in the final 500 meters to overtake Romania and earn a spot on the medal stand. Germany won the gold, followed by Romania.
Bub and Manning, who row for Saugatuck Rowing Club, finished fourth in the B final for 10th-place overall.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Wilton and receive free news updates.