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Xeno Müller' competitive highlights:
+ Olympic gold single scull + Olympic silver single scull + 3X World championship silver single scull + Henley Royal Regatta Diamond Sculls + Henley Royal Regatta Ladies Plate Brown U. + 16X National Champion + 2X Eastern Sprint Champion + 2X Inter Collegiate National Champion + Junior World Championship Bronze single scull + Junior Crash-B champion + Olympic record holder 6:44.85
My passions are: Family, health, and rowing. I am married and I am father of four children. When I was younger my parents moved around Europe. I had to learn different languages to "survive". I speak English, French, Germand, Spanish, and the Swiss-German dialect. I started rowing when I was 13 years old. My first stroke was taken on the Seine River a forty some kilometers south of Paris. Rowing was a perfect fit for the beginning. I finished high school in Fontainebleau, France. I was recruited to row at Brown University and gradjumacated with a BA in International Relations... At Brown we stayed undefeated in our collegiate races. Over the years I won 16 national championships in Switzerland and the United States. I still hold the Olympic record established in 1996 of 6:44.85 for 2K without wind. Now my goal is to make the world row. That is why I always wanted to have a website like this one. Rowing on a machine is one of the most efficient and accessible sport available, yet highly unknown. I make exercising the body fun by breaking up workouts into manageable pieces and I always find something to talk about. I always enjoy rowing for our members in front of the camera. Here are my dreams: A healthy and happy family. An ever growing Row2go community. Being able to sponsor rowing workouts for disadvantaged people of all ages in need of exercise. Below you can find two short descriptions of my Olympic crusade.
FROM BARCELONA TO SYDNEY VIA ATLANTA:
I almost qualified myself in the single scull for the finals at the Barcelona Olympics, it was a tough loss. This motivated me to train even harder for the 1996 Olympics. On this page I would like to thank all those who helped me achieve this formidable race. I had a great support team. Behind the scenes I could not have done it alone. The gold medal was the result of many years of sweat and tears, defeats and victories. I would like to dedicate this page to my late father who only saw me compete in 1992. Enjoy this video and come visit us at the Iron Oarsman.
OLYMPIC SAGA: Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney...
ATLANTA 1996
My best race took place in Atlanta, at the 1996 Olympic Games. The morning of my race, I forced myself to believe that it was going to be 'just another race'. I needed to keep my nervousness in check. That became extremely difficult when it was time to enter the boating area and I heard the anthems of the 'freshly baked' Olympic Gold Medal Winners over the loudspeakers. It was time to perform. A consistent, strong race would be required to win a medal...ANY medal. I wanted to go home with a medal... not empty handed. There are many details of the race which I will talk about on this page at a later stage. However, when I crossed the finish line it was as if I glided into some kind of fairyland. I didn't hear the noises around me anymore. I quietly sat in my single as a voice inside me whispered "You did it", "You really did it." Then the silence slowly gave way to the real noise and commotion on Lake Lanier and my emotional state shifted from being in a trance into euphoric happiness. During the 20 minutes before I received my medal, I must have laughed and cried about ten times. I am happy to share this little story with you because I believe that it can only bring a smile and a positive attitude towards working hard for a life-long goal.
The silver medal represents a total achievement that I feel extremely proud of. At the 1500 meter mark, I thought that I was going to win. I was in the best shape of my life, and I thought that nothing was going to stop me. It was a great feeling. Then, suddenly, for lack of a better phrase, I blew. I ran out of gas and coasted with great fear towards the finish line. Much to my surprise, I won silver. In the middle of the week, the day before my semi-final, I caught a chest cold. After the semi-final, I required half an hour of cool down until I was able to take a 'normal' steady-state stroke, and it required 4 extra hours that afternoon until my heart rate found its resting state again. I was extremely fortunate that I had that Friday before my final off. I pulled myself together and with a very positive attitude, I went to race the final. This silver medal is platinum for me. It was not until 2 minutes after the finish that I was told by a volunteer who gave me water that I had won silver. That was the best surprise that I have ever had in rowing. The trip to Australia with my family was super and the medal made it absolutely great.
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