Rowing at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's coxed four

This was the fourth appearance of the event. Rowing had been on the programme in 1896 but was cancelled due to bad weather. The coxed four was one of the four initial events introduced in 1900. It was not held in 1904 or 1908, but was held at every Games from 1912 to 1992 when it (along with the men's coxed pair) was replaced with the men's lightweight double sculls and men's lightweight coxless four.{{cite web |url=http://www.olympedia.org/results/157701 |title=Coxed Fours, Men |work=Olympedia |access-date=12 May 2021}}

Ten teams, each from a different nation, competed. Norway and Czechoslovakia were also nominated but they did not start. Switzerland was the favourite, having won every edition of the European Championships since 1911 except for 1922 when the French team had the upper hand; Switzerland came second that year.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418132516/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 April 2020|access-date = 30 June 2018 }}{{cite web |last1=Heckert |first1=Karlheinz |title=Rudern – Europameisterschaften (Herren – Vierer m.Stm.) |url= http://www.sport-komplett.de/sport-komplett/sportarten/r/rudern/hst/68.html |publisher=Sport Komplett |access-date=30 June 2018| language=de}} The Swiss were the reigning Olympic champions as well. Also returning from the 1920 Games were the silver-medal Americans and the seventh-place Belgians. Hans Walter, of Switzerland, was the only returning individual.

Hungary, Italy, and Poland each made their debut in the event. Belgium and France each made their third appearance, tied for most among nations to that point.

The coxed four event featured five-person boats, with four rowers and a coxswain. It was a sweep rowing event, with the rowers each having one oar (and thus each rowing on one side). The competition used the 2000 metres distance that became standard at the 1912 Olympics and which has been used ever since except at the 1948 Games.{{cite web |url=https://worldrowing.com/2017/05/01/why-race-2000m-the-history-behind-the-distance/ |title=Why Do We Race 2000m? The History Behind the Distance |publisher=World Rowing |date=1 May 2017 |access-date=14 April 2021}}

The tournament featured three rounds of competition: semifinals, a repechage, and a final.

• The semifinals had four heats, with 2 or 3 boats in each heat. The winner of each semifinal advanced to the final, the second-place boat went to the repechage, and the third-place boats (where applicable) were eliminated.
• The repechage had a single heat with 4 boats. The winner joined the semifinal winners in the final.
• There was a single final, with five boats, to determine the medals.

There are contradictory sources regarding the Swiss coxswain. The official Olympic record lists Walter Loosli as having coxed the team in all their three races.{{cite book |title=Les Jeux de la VIII^e Olympiade Paris 1924 – Rapport Officiel |editor-first=M. |editor-last=Avé |author=Comité Olympique Français |publisher=Librairie de France |location=Paris |trans-title=The Games of the VIIIth Olympiad Paris 1924 – Official Report |language=fr |url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1924/1924.pdf |format=PDF |access-date=30 June 2018 |page=176 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410085129/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1924/1924.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2008 |url-status=dead }} Other Olympic results lists show Émile Lachapelle as the Swiss cox. This page reflects how the results are displayed by the Sports Reference database, where Loosli is shown to have competed on the day of the heats and repechage, and replaced by Lachapelle in the final.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Émile Lachapelle |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/emile-lachapelle-1.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417185136/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/emile-lachapelle-1.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 30 June 2018 }}

Four heats were rowed on 13 July. The top team from each heat would qualify for the final, with the second placed boat going into the repechage. The third placed boats, in the two heats with three boats, were eliminated.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours Round One |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours-round-one.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417185114/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours-round-one.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 30 June 2018 }}

In heat 4, the Dutch team beat the favourites from Switzerland in the two-boat-race. Switzerland, with Loosli as their coxswain, went to the repechage.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Walter Loosli |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/walter-loosli-1.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418061424/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/lo/walter-loosli-1.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 18 April 2020 |access-date = 30 June 2018 }}

The repechage was held on the same day as the heats. The top boat advanced to the final, with the other three eliminated.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours Round One Repêchage |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours-round-one-repechage.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417185114/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours-round-one-repechage.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 30 June 2018 }} Hungary finished a metre behind, while Belgium was a length behind.

The final was rowed on 17 July.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Rowing at the 1924 Paris Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours Final Round |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours-final-round.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417185114/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1924/ROW/mens-coxed-fours-final-round.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 1 July 2018 }} The Dutch team led the race for the first half but then dropped out of the race through exhaustion and did not finish the race. The Swiss team took the gold, followed by France and the United States. The American time is not recorded, but they finished two metres behind.

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{{Olympic champions – Men's coxed four}}

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Four, coxed