100 Olympic Athletes To Watch

Beijing 2008

40. Adam Korol

Joerg Koch / AFP / Getty
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Rowing
Poland
Age: 33

If there is one man who deserves the credit for the fact that the Polish men's quad team hasn't lost a single competition since 2005 and won the European Championship three times, it would be stroke Adam Korol. The man from Gdansk is the son of rowers, and had to comeback in 2006 after an injury almost ended his career. "He is very reliable, a very important bond in this crew," says coach Aleksander Wojciechowski about the 33 year-old, whose team is likely to add its first Olympic gold to its victory skein.

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