RIO DE JANEIRO – With each passing Olympic Games, former Cal rower Olivier Siegelaar got closer and closer to rising to the medal stand.

On Saturday during his third trip to the Summer Olympics, Siegelaar finally got there.

Siegelaar, who rowed at Cal from 2009-13, helped The Netherlands capture the bronze medal in the Men's Eight competition at Lagoa Stadium. It is the first Olympic medal for Siegelaar, who had been a part of two top-5 finishes during his previous trips to the Summer Games.

It also marked the 200^th medal all-time by a California Golden Bear.

"We were all so excited to watch Olie race today and win an Olympic medal," said Cal associate head coach Scott Frandsen, a three-time Olympian himself. "He had a huge impact on our team when he was at Cal and has been a great steward of Cal athletics in the years since he graduated. Olivier truly embodies what it is to be a Golden Bear."

Siegelaar's Eights boat finished in fourth place at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing then followed that up with a fifth-place performance at the 2012 London Games. Although the Netherlands actually finished lower in 2012, it was closer to a medal than in 2008. Less than a second separated the boats that placed third through fifth, and The Netherlands finished the finals just over a half-second behind bronze medalist Great Britain.

The Netherlands finished Saturday's final in 5:31.59, a second-and-a-half behind silver medalist Germany. Great Britain won the gold.

This marks the fifth straight Summer Olympics that a Golden Bear has won a medal in rowing.