Aquil Abdullah became the first Black man to represent the United States at an Olympic rowing event when he qualified in the M2x in 2004. We paired him with Olympic hopeful John Olbrys who has his sights on the 2021 Olympic trials. Both have deep roots in the Washington, D.C. region. 

Aquil’s path to the Olympics started at Woodrow Wilson high school and an offer of a rowing scholarship (and his mother’s influence) brought him to George Washington University. He now lives with his family in Boston, and is working to make the sport more inclusive through several initiatives. In 2019, Aquil joined Hydrow as a featured athlete.

Olympic hopeful John Olbrys learned to row in high school, and found fit rowing into his crammed schedule at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He is currently serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and training for the Tokyo Olympic trials. He is an out and proud LGBT rower at Potomac Boat Club. 

See the full show notes at www.steadystatenetwork.com/podcast.

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