PENRITH, Australia — Missy Ryan and Steven Redgrave can compare the scars they've acquired since Atlanta. The rowers also can show off the medals they won at these Olympics.
Ryan won a bronze in the women's pairs Saturday (Friday night EDT), capping her comeback after donating a kidney to her brother weeks after winning a silver medal in 1996.
Redgrave fought diabetes, appendicitis and an arm injury in the past four years, but still pulled his British crew to victory in the men's fours, making him only the third person to win gold at five straight Olympics.
"I feel great about it," said Ryan, whose boat was fifth in its only international race this year. "I think this must be a first — to donate a kidney, then win an Olympic medal."
Ryan and Karen Kraft led for the first 1,500 meters of their 2,000-meter race, but were caught in the last 250 by Romania and Australia, which also edged them by 0.3 seconds in Atlanta.
After the finish, Ryan pushed up her sunglasses and sweatband, reached forward and gently patted Kraft on the back. They wore wide smiles on the medals stand, raising their arms and waving, then clasping hands high above their heads. It was quite a contrast to four years ago, when they sobbed.
"Last time, we'd been undefeated and really favored," Ryan said. "This time, we were climbing a hill all the way to the medal podium. It was much harder get back to bronze than it was to win silver."
Ryan, an Indiana native now living in Dallas, and Kraft, raised in California and now living in Princeton, N.J., had decided the Atlanta Games would be their last.
Hours after that disappointing loss, Kraft suffered more heartache by learning that her sister Sarah was not a suitable kidney donor for their brother, Mike Schwen. She volunteered immediately.
After the successful transplant — Schwen is now in graduate school at Indiana — Ryan was married and moved to San Francisco for her husband's schooling. Kraft was there, too.
Although they lived minutes apart, they rarely spoke — until the day Ryan called Kraft and asked, "What do you think?"
Two months after finishing fifth in a regatta in Switzerland, they came in second to gold-favorite Romania in a first-round heat here. The Americans got into the finals by winning a consolation round and were feeling good about their chances.
They started strong and maintained it nearly to the finish. When Romania passed them with about 250 meters to go, it was because the Romanians sped up and not because the Americans faded.
"It was definitely a good race for us," Kraft said.
The 38-year-old Redgrave was too pooped to cheer after holding off Italy and Australia; the U.S. boat was fifth.
Redgrave slumped over his oar while his crewmates pumped their arms. Matthew Pinsent, who teamed with Redgrave to win the last two pairs titles, walked through the boat and hugged Redgrave, then lost his balance and wound up in the water.
Redgrave seemed to enjoy Pinsent's plunge as much as the title.
"He might not be (rowing) in four years time. The way he moved after the race, he'll be back in the gymnastics team," Redgrave said.
Redgrave is the first person from an endurance sport to win five straight golds. Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich won golds at the six games from 1932-60 and teammate Pal Kovacs won five from '36-60; there were no games in '40 and '44 because of World War II.
The U.S. men's pair of Ted Murphy and Sebastian Bea were surprising silver medalists, making a late charge to force the home-crowd favorite Australians to bronze and knocking the British out of the medals. Gold went to France.
"It was a pleasant surprise coming through on those guys," Murphy said. "I thought we were fourth."
Bea, whose back injury earlier this summer kept them off the water for awhile, said: "I think it's the best effort we have ever given."
Americans barely missed another medal in the women's double sculls, where Ruth Davidon and Carol Skricki finished fourth by inches.
The world-champion Germans were first, the Dutch second and the Lithuanians third. The U.S. finish was impressive considering Skricki began rowing only eight years ago at age 30.
Four years ago, Skricki watched and wished as Davidon was fourth in single sculls in Atlanta. Now that she's gone through an Olympics, Skricki wants to do it again.
"I feel like I'm pretty much hitting my stride and still enjoying it," said Skricki, who quit playing bass guitar in an alternative rock band to focus on rowing. "It's just wonderful to have made it here and to get so close."
The finals wrap up with seven events Sunday. U.S. crews are in five of them, including the much-anticipated men's eight. Americans haven't won the event in 36 years after taking 11 of the first 14 Olympic titles. This crew has won the last three world championships.