Barrington's Anders Weiss and his rowing partner Nareg Guregian clocked the fastest time ever in a men's pair event on Mercer Lake in New Jersey, and earned a spot in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Weiss and Guregian clocked a blistering 6:21.10 in the 2,000 meter race, during the finals of the Olympic Trials on Wednesday, June 22. That time was fast enough to set a new course record and ensure a spot on the US Olympic Rowing Team for Weiss and Guregian.

"That's a really, really fast time," said Weiss. "We got off the blocks really well and kept the lead."

Weiss said the finals in the Olympic Trials tested him physically, especially toward the end of the race. 

"It was difficult to breath. You're doing everything you can to finish the race. Toward the end, my vision was starting to go… I was gasping for air… My body was shutting down," he said. 

The Barrington native pushed aside the pain and pulled through, partly, he said, for his teammate, who has been training for many years to reach the Olympics.

"A lot of people say (making the Olympics) feels like a dream. Now I know exactly what they're talking about," he said. "It was so cool."

Weiss started rowing during his sophomore year at Barrington High School and took quickly to the sport. He had grown up playing soccer and basketball and tennis. He helped the BHS boys' soccer team to multiple state titles and also swam for Eagles in high school, but decided to focus his energy on rowing in college. 

At Brown University, he helped the Bears varsity team to silver and bronze medals at the Intercollegiate Rowing Championships. He was also a member of the U23 US National team that won silver at the 2013 World U23 Rowing Championships.

For the last few months, Weiss has been training with the Olympic hopefuls — first in California and more recently in New Jersey. He was not selected for the eight-man boat — he was the last man cut from the team — but later teamed up with Guregian for the men's pairs race. 

Weiss said he was very happy when Guregian decided to partner with him for the event.

"Nareg has been training for a long time," he said. "I've seen how hard he works."

Weiss said he and Guregian work well together and found their stride during the trials on Mercer Lake. They clocked the second fastest time during the time trials on Sunday, June 19, and began knocking off the competition during the heat races. 

In the finals on Wednesday, June 22, Weiss and Guregian powered to a terrific start and held off a number of hard-charging teams, including Tom Peszek and Yohann Rigogne, who finished in second with a time of 6:22.23. Third place went to the team of Mike Gennaro and Dariush Aghai, who crossed the line at 6:29.55.

Weiss celebrated the victory with some of his family members who traveled to New Jersey to watch the trials. He also credited some of his success to his training partners. 

Still, the Barrington native said there is much work left to be done before the start of the Olympics.

"We can't be happy with a 6:21," he said, adding that he believes he and Nareg have a good chance to medal if they row their best in Rio. 

Weiss and Guregian will fly to Houston, Texas in late July and then travel to Rio for the games in early August.