Olympic Bulge Drama: Henrik Rummel's Grandmother – 'I Was So Proud'

Henrik Rummel, 24, the Harvard alumnus who won the bronze medal in the Men’s Coxless Four Rowing event for the USA, may have become famous for his alleged errection on display while accepting the medal with his teammates on the medals podium, but to his sweet grandmother, Barbara Howland, he’s just a boy for whom hard work paid off.

Dorset resident Howland was able to travel to London to watch Rummel’s events, after which she experienced “a feeling of incredible joy for him,” she told the Bennington Banner. “I was so proud of him because I knew how hard he had worked.” Rummel’s team’s win marked the first time since 1992 that the United States placed in the men’s four event.

Now that the 2012 Olympic Games in London are over, what lies ahead for Rummel? Howland assures that her grandson is already looking ahead to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In the intervening four years, Rummel will work and save up money for the first two, then train on his own for the third, then reunite with his teammates for “intensive training” the last year leading into Rio.

Howland may have been on cloud nine for her grandson Rummel, but one of Rummel’s teammates expressed a modicum of frustration overcoming in third. “We were happy to get the bronze, but there are still two other boats out there we have to catch,” he said.

Anything to get back up on that podium.

For more on Henrik Rummel:

Olympic Bulge Drama: Rowing Coach Explains Henrik Rummel’s ‘Erection’

Henrik Rummel Responds To Olympic Bulge Drama: ‘I Swear It’s Not Erect!’

FUNNY: Twitter Perks Up At Henrik Rummel’s Alleged Erection

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