Every athlete’s dream is to play in the Olympics. This past summer, Belmont Hill was proud to have four alumni participating at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the most ever in a year in the history of the school. Three out of four of these athletes were rowers, with Andrew Reed ‘10 placing 5th in the US men’s four after clinching second in the first heat, Alexander Richards ‘14 placing 4th in the US men’s eight after getting 3rd in repechage one, and Dara Alizadeh ‘11 representing Team Bermuda while placing 6th in the men’s single sculls after getting 3rd in the first Semi Final C/D. In addition, Benny Wanger from the class of 2015 represented Team Israel in baseball as a pitcher.
There is a reason that participating in the Olympic Games is simply a dream for most. The amount of training by these men to even qualify to join their national teams is astounding. For Alex and Andrew, practice on the water usually happened multiple times per day, along with ergometer and weight training. Waking up early was a common occurrence, and fitting in Olympic training with daily life can be quite a struggle. However, their time at Belmont Hill, and later various Ivy League colleges, prepared them well for the challenges to come. The school’s mission to shape men of character is visible clearly through these athletes’ determination, relentless training, and selflessness. They took the unique opportunity to represent their countries in stride, and it is evident through their incredible achievements. Although none of the athletes managed to clinch medals, their feats are still very impressive, ranking them among some of the top athletes in the world. Congratulations to them on their wonderful accomplishments, and good luck in Paris 2024!
