A Fitting Name: Delaware Native Justin Best Wins Rowing Gold

Justin Best, who spend his early years in Delaware and began rowing in the First State, was part of the team that won a gold medal at the Olympics for Team U.S.A. for the first time in 64 years. (Photo from Justin Best Facebook page)

A Delaware native who spent his younger years in the First State has brought home gold for the U.S.A.

Justin Best, who turns 27 on Aug. 17, was part of the rowing team that finished in first place in the Men’s Rowing Four event in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris on Thursday.

According to Team USA’s social media accounts, it is the first time the American team has won gold in that competition since the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome.

His teammates are Liam Corrigan from Connecticut, Michael Grady from Pennsylvania and Nick Mead from Pennsylvania.

Best and his family moved from Wilmington to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, when he was in elementary school when he started rowing for the Newport Rowing Club.

Those at the club said they are extremely proud of Best and that his achievement is much deserved.

“I was a coxswain at Newport Rowing Club while Justin was here, and he was a fantastic teammate,” said Jess Crosby who is now the head coach at the club.

A coxswain is the steersman of a ship’s boat, who is the person in charge of a boat, for aspects like navigation and steering.

John Tierney, who coached Best in high school alongside coaches Brooks Reinhard and Sam MacDonald, said Best recently visited the boathouse and talked with the current group of athletes.

“Justin joked with them that my big coaching emphasis, that he remembered, was to relax at the finish of the stroke like you’re in your favorite armchair,” Tierney said. “Our present group of athletes indicated that I still emphasize this point.”

Tierney said he watched the race Thursday and Best’s boat executed the piece incredibly well.

“Their bladework was impeccable,” he said. “At the end of each stroke they looked controlled and relaxed as they readied themselves for the next stroke. Clearly, the other members of the crew had also been taught to relax by their coaches, and it was a joy to watch.”

Best has worked incredibly hard to get where he has, Tierney said, and he has had very supportive parents and coaches.

“He has also experienced some adversity along the way,” Tierney said. “This has strengthened his resolve. Nice guys do finish first.”

He went on to attend Unionville High School in Kennett Square, and then Drexel University in Philadelphia.

The team beat out the competitors from New Zealand and Great Britain, who won silver and bronze, respectively.

The winning margin was just 0.85 seconds, and Team U.S.A. finished with a time of 5 minutes and 49.03 seconds to complete the 2,000-meter race at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in Paris.

In 2014, Best won another gold medal in men’s eight rowing with an under-19 developmental team at the CanAmMex Regatta, a competition between the U.S., Canadian and Mexican teams in Nova Scotia.

Watch the full race and the men’s four rowing team who achieved the ultimate prize for the first time in 64 years on NBC Sports’ YouTube page here.