Josh West
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| Full name | A. Joshua West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | March 25, 1977 Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Yale University Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | geologist, college professor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Employer | University of Southern California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men's Eight, Men's Four | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Crew, Yale University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Caius Boat Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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A. Joshua West (born 25 March 1977) is a dual citizen British-American Olympic rower and Earth Sciences professor.[1] He is a two-time World Championship silver medalist, a World Championship bronze medalist, and a four-time Cambridge Blue, and represented Great Britain in the eight at the 2004 Olympic Games, won a bronze medal in the eight in the 2007 World Cup series, and won a bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships in the eight, and won a silver medal in the eight in the 2008 Olympic Games.[2]
Early life
[edit]West is Jewish and was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States.[3][4] His mother is American and his father is British.[4]
West attended Yale University for his undergraduate degree, majoring in geology and international studies.[4][5] As an undergraduate he was a member of the St. Anthony Hall literary society and was a member of the crew team.[6] In 1999, West attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge for postgraduate study as a Marshall Scholar.[2][6] He completed a doctorate at Cambridge in 2005.[5]
Rowing career
[edit]At Yale, West learned to row under Freshman Coach Justin Moore and Varsity Coach Dave Vogel.[5] He participated in the 4-mile (6.4 km) Varsity Eights version of the Harvard-Yale Boat Race his senior year (1998) but lost to Harvard.
While studying in England, he earned a spot in the Blue Boat for The Boat Race against Oxford University. Earning a seat in Cambridge's Blue Boat every year until 2002, West and the "Light Blues" defeated the "Dark Blues" twice in those four years (1999 & 2001). In 2000, West lined up against former Yale teammates Alexander Reid and Eirik Lilledahl, who were the stern pair of the victorious Oxford crew.[7] At 6 ft 9.5 in (2.07 m), West is the tallest recorded oarsman to participate in The Boat Race.[5] He also twice won May Bumps headships with Caius Boat Club.
Building on his Cambridge successes, West eventually became a member of the British National Rowing Team and won two silver medals (2002 & 2003) with the British Four and one bronze medal (2007) with the British Eight at the World Rowing Championships.[5]
West's most recent success came in the Eight rowing for Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China,[8] where the British crew picked up a silver medal in a close finish behind the Canadians.[9]
Academic career
[edit]West is currently an Associate Professor of Earth Sciences and Zinsmeyer Early Career Chair in Marine Studies in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California.[10][11] His academic focus is on the chemical processes at the Earth's surface, and how they maintain a habitable planet that supports life.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The Independent Rowing News Inc. (2001). Rowing News. The Independent Rowing News Inc. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Josh West"
- ^ The Jewish Chronicle: 2008-08-08 - "Tall story of British Olympic rowing hopeful"
- ^ a b c "Jewish Athletes Reach for the Gold". Forward. 31 July 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Josh West '98 Earns Spot in 2008 Olympics" - Yale
- ^ a b "Davenport College students get Marshall awards". Yale Bulletin and Calendar News Stories. 26 (18). January 26, 1998.
- ^ "Oxford win thrilling Boat Race". BBC News. 25 March 2000. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ^ "GB rowing sets sights on Beijing". BBC News. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ "West and Co. Take Second in Race Loaded with Ivies". Iviesinchina.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "West Research Group at USC". Earth.usc.edu. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- ^ a b Dr. A. Joshua West
External links
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