The women’s championship eight at the Head of the Charles Sunday was stocked with Olympians from many countries, not just the 2012 gold medal US team but also the silver medalists from Canada and the bronze medalists from the Netherlands.

Out of practice since their triumph at Eton Dorney in August, the US eight had to huff and puff through the last quarter of the race before coming through as they bulled their way down the 3-mile course in 16 minutes 13.49 seconds. As coxswain Mary Whipple said, “We gutted it out.’’