William Belden

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William "Bill" Thomas Belden (born January 5, 1949 in Washington, DC ) is a former rower from the United States . He was in 1974 the first world champion in the lightweight - One and won seven medals at world championships.

Career

In 1974 lightweight rowing competitions were on the program for the first time at the World Championships in Lucerne. Belden won the lightweight single with a three second lead over the Dutchman Harald Punt and the Swiss Reto Wyss . A year later, Reto Wyss won the World Championships in Nottingham ahead of the Austrian Raimund Haberl . Belden won the bronze medal ten seconds behind Wyss. 1976 joined Belden at the Olympic Games in Montreal in heavyweight double sculls together with Lawrence Klecatsky . After a fourth place in the preliminary run and victory in the repechage, the two finished fourth in the semi-finals. In the B-final, the two Americans finished second and finished eighth in the overall standings.

In 1977 Belden started at the World Championships in Amsterdam in double sculls together with James Dietz and reached fifth place. 1978 Belden entered the Lightweight World Championships in Copenhagen and won the bronze medal in the lightweight single behind the Spaniard José Antonio Montosa Ortega and the Dane Morten Espensen . The following year, Belden appeared at the World Championships in Bled both in the lightweight single and with James Dietz in the heavyweight double scull. In the one he won ahead of the Canadian Brian Thorne and Raimund Haberl. In the double scull, Dietz and Belden reached seventh place. In 1980 Belden was scheduled in the heavyweight single for the Olympic team, but because of the Olympic boycott he was not allowed to start in Moscow. At the 1980 World Championships in Hazewinkel, only the lightweight rowers competitions were held. Belden won the silver medal in the single, more than five seconds behind the German Christian-Georg Warlich .

In 1981 William Belden formed a lightweight double scull with Paul Fuchs . At the World Championships in Munich , the two won silver, two seconds behind the Italians Francesco Esposito and Ruggero Verroca . At the 1982 World Championships in Lucerne, the Italians won with roughly the same lead over Belden and Fuchs.

The 1.78 m tall William Belden rowed at La Salle University and later for the Undine Barge Club in Philadelphia. After graduating, he worked as a banker in the investment division of PNC Bank .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Volker Kluge : Olympic Summer Games. The Chronicle III. Mexico City 1968 - Los Angeles 1984. Sportverlag Berlin, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-328-00741-5 . P. 556f
personal data
SURNAME Belden, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Belden, William Thomas (full name); Belden, Bill (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American rower
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Washington, DC