Alf Taeuber

In 1924 with South Australia continuing to dominate Australian eights rowing, their claim for national Olympic selection could not be denied and after winning a test event raced on Port Adelaide in March 1924, Taeuber and the South Australian crew were selected in-toto to represent Australia as an eight at the 1924 Summer Olympics.^[5]

Funding was raised from the Murray Bridge Rowing Club, the South Australian Rowing Association and the general public of South Australia. The crew were nicknamed "the Murray Cods".^[6] Unlike the 1912 Olympic eight, the Murray Cods were not invited to race in lead-up at the Henley Royal Regatta and in 2000 Ted Thomas jnr a crew member's son, asserted that this was because the eight was crewed by working class men other than the stroke Bill Sladden^[6] It's undisputed that tour funds were scarce and on arrival in France, the crew had to row their shell 60 km to their training base; that on tour some of the crew busked as musicians to raise pocket money; and that on race day they first rowed their shell 26 miles from their boatshed to the Olympic course.^[6] Their equipment was also sub-par as they rowed with their oars turning in out-rigged poppets rather than in swivelling gates as had become the norm by 1924.^[6]

In the Olympic regatta, with Taeuber in the five seat, the Australian eight finished second behind Italy in their heat, then finished third in the repechage and didn't advance to the final.^[7] Taeuber did not row on after the Olympics.

• Alf Taeuber at World Rowing
• Alf Taeuber at Olympedia