Xeno Muller Rows For Gold in 1996
In 1996, a little known athlete “from” Switzerland rowed through the Atlanta waters and found gold in the Men’s Single Sculls.
The little known athlete was Xeno Muller.
A man truly without a country (be sure to view the second video for the colorful explanation), the Swiss rower became almost an athlete of cult status. So much so, that he actually had a small contingent of fans (presumably countrymen and women) that seemed to be all around Lake Lanier singing the following ditty (to the tune of B-I-N-G-O):
“There is a rower that goes real fast and Xeno is his name-o…
Go-X-E-N-O!
Go-X-E-N-O!
Go-X-E-N-O!
…and Xeno is his name-o.”
We wish we were joking. And if you remember that group, you are an Olympics nerd just like us. [Editor's note - actually only I (Alex) am said nerd. True story.]
Watch as the Brown alum takes down the Olympic record. Muller would also return for the Sydney 2000 Games, taking silver behind New Zealand’s Rob Waddell.
And just for you, courtesy of Xeno’s YouTube page, is a hugely entertaining take on the race from the man himself. “Yay! We’re at the 1000m mark!”
