THE PARIS OLYMPICS | SHUTTERSTOCK

Michael Grady is bringing home an Olympic gold medal to the Steel City after coasting to victory in the Men’s Four rowing final on Thursday. This win secures Team USA’s first rowing medal at the Paris games. 

The Bradford Woods native graduated from Central Catholic High School in 2015. Before his Olympic debut in 2021, the 27-year-old rowed for Cornell University on the varsity eight team. 

Grady is the only returning member of the Team USA Men’s Four that competed in Tokyo, placing fifth. His teammates, Justin Best, Liam Corrigan and Nick Mead, all competed in the Men’s Eight at the 2021 games. 

Casey Galvanek, United States Rowing head coach, told NBC he expected the men’s coxless four team to perform the best in Paris out of the five boats sent from Team USA.

Grady’s boat had a strong start in the 2,000-meter final, leading the pack at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. In the second 1,000 meters, New Zealand kicked into high gear, trailing the American boat by only 3 feet. But, Team USA kept up their pace despite the approaching opponent, gliding through the finish line to gold with a time of 5 minutes, 49.03 seconds. 

After their victory, Grady pumped his fist in the air and smacked the water with excitement. 

“It’s such an honor to represent Pittsburgh, to represent the U.S., to represent every walk of life that I’ve been a part of,” Grady told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 

Thursday’s victory is the American’s first gold in this event since the 1960 games and their first time on the podium since earning bronze in 2012.