Although it wasn’t how she wanted it to end, Folsom rower Michelle Sechser was grateful for the opportunity to make a run at a medal in the Olympic Rowing Finals in Paris.
Competing in the the finals of the lightweight women’s double sculls Friday, Sechser and teammate Molly Reckford finished sixth.
“It was an incredible experience,” said Sechser, “While the result is not how I wanted this lightweight double race to end for me, obviously, what an incredible day. I woke up this morning. It was stunning. The water was beautiful. Molly and I are both healthy. We have all the support staff we could want.”
Great Britain’s Imogen Grant and Emily Craig inched ahead of Romania in the first 500 meters and slowly built their lead over the final 1,500 meters, winning gold in a 6:47.06. The Romanian crew of Ionela Livia Cozmiuc and Gianina Elena van Groningen held off a late charge by Greece’s Zoi Fitsiou and Dimitra Kontou to take the silver, with the Greeks winning bronze. The Americans got off the line in sixth place, and while they were still in contention through the 1,000-meter mark, they weren’t able to keep pace over the back half of the race. Romania finished 1.72 seconds behind the Brits in a 6:48.78, with Greece clocking a 6:49.28. The U.S. finished with a. time of 6:55.60.
“We knew it was going to be hard; it’s a lightweight women’s race, so that’s never in doubt,” Reckford said. “We also knew that we had very good base speed, and we needed to stay with the pack. Strategically, we had talked about no matter what happens, stay with the pack. If you have to go 300 meters in, go 300 meters in. Michelle led, and I followed her calls, and we kept it higher than we normally rate. We really gave it all in that first (1,000 meters) to stay with the pack, and I think we did a better job with that this race than we had earlier in the regatta. But you pay for that, and it meant that we couldn’t quite get to that final gear.”
While the end result was at least three spots short of what she desired, Sechser expressed her gratitude for the chance to get to medal contention and the support along the way.
“We get to go up against the world and Olympic record holders. We get to go up against the reigning world champions. I couldn’t ask for anything else to get to do. It’s so incredible to be a part of this, to get to be back in this Olympic final even just fighting for a medal.”
The Paris Games marked Sechser’s second appearance representing Folsom at the Olympics, following her participation in the women’s lightweight doubles in Tokyo, where she finished fifth alongside team mate Reckford, she set her sights on another trip to the games with the goal of making it to the finals, which she ultimately accomplished.
“My goal is to make that Olympic final, knowing that I’ll be on that start line with the other five fastest countries in the world. And having one shot for the last time,” she said prior to Paris. “I think people build a little something special out of your sleeve knowing that it’s the last time it will ever happen.”
From her high school days to the present, the Capital Crew alumni cut her teeth in rowing on the waters of Lake Natoma starting at the age of 14. From the very first day, she remained committed to rowing, continually adding to her impressive athletic career. Notable highlights include winning the lightweight double sculls at the 2021 World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and securing a third-place finish in the 2011 Pan American Games. More recently, she claimed a silver medal in the 2023 World Championships, adding to her previous participations in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022, where she also earned a bronze medal in 2017.
After graduating locally, Sechser pursued her higher education at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, where she earned her MBA.
