This Olympic gold medalist got his start at Delaware's Newport Rowing Club

A Delaware native who first tried his sport at the Newport Rowing Club and on the Christina River is an Olympic gold medalist.

Justin Best, 26, was part of the U.S. men's fours that rowed to first place on Thursday at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in Paris.

It was the first U.S. gold medal in men's fours since 1960.

“I don't think 'special' does it enough justice because of the amount of meters, hours, days with each other away from our loved ones,” Best said in describing the win. "You know the funerals you have to miss, the weddings. You have to miss social events. It's all encompassing what it takes to get to this moment.

"We have a group of four guys that love each other, and like I said, special can't describe it because it really is just like that ethereal bond that I think we've created over the last few years. Now, we have a physical reminder of everything that we put in, and we'll have this for the rest of our lives.”

Justin Best has roots in Delaware

Best is from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Unionville High and Drexel University. His family moved there from Delaware when he was in elementary school.

Best's father Glenn, a Dickinson High graduate, and mom Jeanne met as University of Delaware students. His maternal grandfather, George Jarvis, was a state representative and senator and served as Gov. Pete du Pont’s transportation secretary.

Before rowing in the eight-man crew at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Best told Delaware Online/The News Journal that a concussion he suffered playing middle school football fueled a family decision to try other sports.

A rowing scene from the film "The Social Network" made the sport possibly appealing.

Humbling start but a fast learner

In 2011, a family friend recommended the nearby Newport Rowing Club as the ideal place to give it a try.

“I was not good at it at first," Best said in 2021. "We had two novice boats and I was in the second one.”

But Best stuck with the sport and soon excelled, first making U.S. international teams as a teenager. Best also spent some time training at the Wilmington Rowing Center.

He has been based at the U.S. Rowing Center in Berkeley, California, since graduating from Drexel in December of 2019 and continuing his upward climb toward becoming a two-time Olympian and, now, a gold medalist.

“If you had told me those many years ago that was the first practice of a step that would put me at the Olympics in Tokyo,” Best said in 2021, “I would have laughed in your face.”

Erin Gemmell earns silver, part of history

Another Delaware native secured a silver medal in Paris on Thursday as Erin Gemmell swam the anchor leg on the U.S. 4x200-meter relay team.

Gemmell is the sister of former Olympian Andrew Gemmell and daughter of Bruce Gemmell, the former Delaware Swim Team coach who later guided Katie Ledecky.

Ledecky was also part of the 4x200, and the medal was her 13th, the most ever for a U.S. female Olympian.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: This Olympic gold medalist got his start at Delaware's Newport Rowing Club