Rowing

Matt Clark, a 19-year-old student from Los Angeles, took an unscheduled dive into the River Thames as hopes of American success in the world’s most famous rowing event were doused by two accidents.

Clark’s plunge at Henley Royal Regatta was intended to lighten the boat for his teammates after a shattered seat had rendered his oar useless.

But it could not prevent defeat for the seeded eight from the University of California as it trailed the Irish crew Neptune by 1 3/4 lengths.

Less than half an hour earlier in the same Thames Cup event, another seeded American crew, the Harvard eight, was blown onto the boom and trapped there.

That cost Harvard five lengths against the English crew Cherwell, which won by 1 3/4 lengths.