Former SU rower Nicholas Kohl chasing Olympic dreams with Italy

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Nicholas Kohl always dreamed of rowing in the Olympics for Italy and in a couple of weeks, he’ll get a shot at fulfilling that dream.

During his time rowing at Syracuse from 2019-23, Kohl played a major role in the varsity 8’s success, leading the Orange to three straight top-five finishes at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship.

Now, after a successful collegiate career, Kohl has a chance to compete at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, from May 19-21. Two spots remain, meaning Italy needs to finish within the top two of teams that haven’t already qualified. If they do so, Kohl and his teammates will clinch a berth at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

“It’s nerve-wracking for anyone there (Lucerne), let alone the ones who have a good shot to make it,” said Jason Elefant, former Syracuse men’s rowing assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

At first, Kohl wasn’t a mainstay on the Italy team. He graduated from Syracuse in June 2023, but still raced for the Orange in the Henley Royal Regatta in England shortly after. When he finished racing in July, Italy’s roster was already set for the upcoming year, leaving Kohl without a spot.

Kohl returned home and rowed and lifted for hours daily despite not competing at the time. Even then, he still didn’t know if he would earn an invitation to the national team.

“He knew I thought he could row at that level, but initially, the Italian federation wasn’t going to give him a look,” said Dave Reischman, Kohl’s head coach at Syracuse.

Former SU rower Nicholas Kohl (far right) is on the doorstep of competing in his first Olympics with Italy. Courtesy of Nicholas Kohl

Italy didn’t qualify for the Olympics in the men’s 8 or the men’s 4, making way for Kohl to have a chance. Italy’s coaches contacted Kohl in November, and he’s been rowing in the men’s four boat since the end of February.

“My coach (Giovanni Calabrese) was talking to the national team coaches that might’ve wanted to give me an opportunity. But it really depended on last year’s results,” Kohl said. “If they qualified all the boats, it would’ve been much harder.”

Kohl’s dreams started while competing for Italy at the youth level. He rowed at the 2018 U-23 World Championships in Poznań, Poland, alongside future Syracuse teammate Jacopo Bertone. The following year, Kohl improved on his seventh-place finish by winning the bronze medal.

Reischman came to Turin, Italy, at the Inverno Sul Po race with hopes of recruiting Bertone to Syracuse. In the race Reischman watched, Kohl happened to be paired with Bertone in a two-person boat. At the time Kohl attended the University of Insubria in Italy.

According to Elefant, Reischman reported back to the coaching staff that Bertone was someone to pursue, but Kohl also caught his eye. Reischman believed Kohl was someone who could help SU, but he was unsure of the possibility since Kohl was already enrolled in university.

Bertone told Elefant that he’d love to have an Italian teammate. Elefant later found out Kohl’s credits from the University of Insubria in Italy counted as prerequisites for Syracuse’s College of Engineering. From there, Kohl enrolled at SU in 2019 with three years of athletic eligibility.

Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic hit during Kohl’s first year at SU and halted any opportunity to compete early on. He pursued a graduate program that allowed him to graduate in 2023 and planned on entering a master’s program in Water Science, Policy, and Management at Oxford University.

At the end of his collegiate career in summer 2023, Kohl had to decide between going to Oxford or following his dreams for Team Italy. He chose the latter.

“It was a shot in the dark,” Kohl said. “I wasn’t sure of being invited.” Kohl and the Italian varsity 4 beat world champion Great Britain by 0.015 seconds in the 2024 World Rowing Cup in April. Kohl said the team didn’t expect to win, but his crew stayed the course and got ahead in the end.

Now, on the cusp of achieving his dreams, the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne will give Kohl the opportunity to reach Paris and represent his country on the biggest stage.

“It’s been a pretty stressful winter with the pressure of needing to qualify for the boat, and now it’s pretty stressful because we are doing well. There is pressure to keep doing well, but it’s also been really satisfying,” Kohl said.