Matthew Macdonald
Matt Macdonald started rowing at Auckland Grammar School in 2012 at the age of 12.
He joined Auckland RPC after leaving school in 2016 and made his first New Zealand team in 2017 as part of the Junior Men’s Coxless Four, which claimed Silver at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. After another year with Auckland RPC, Matt won Gold in the U22 and U20 Pair as well as the U22 Coxless Four at the National Championships. This earned him a trial for the U23 team where he once again impressed the selectors and was selected in the U23 Men’s Coxless Four for 2018. The crew won Bronze at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Poznan, Poland, and were then asked to join the New Zealand Elite team to attend the World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
After another impressive domestic season, Matt was selected into the Elite Men’s Sweep Squad for 2019. Matt won his first red coat in the Men’s Coxless Four (Boss Rooster) with North Shore Rowing Club at the 2019 NZ National Rowing Championship, along with claiming another national title, winning the Men’s Premier Eight with Auckland RPC. This would continue to be a standout year for Matt, as he was selected into the Elite Men’s Eight. Matt sat in 7-seat rowing bowside this season, where they were just shy of the podium at World Rowing Cup II claiming 4th. Matt and the crew would go on to World Rowing Cup III in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where they claimed Bronze in a performance which would be Matts first Elite-level medal. The crew weren’t quite able to back up this performance later on at the World Championships, placing 6th and missing out on a qualification spot in the Tokyo Olympics.
However, the crew found some speed, winning at the 2021 World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland. History was then made, where in Matt’s Olympic debut, the Men's Eight (with Matt sitting in stroke seat) went on to reclaim the title after a near 50-year wait in an exhilarating final by winning Olympic Gold. Matt has a unique ability in which he is comfortably able to row both sides (stroke/bow), where he has represented New Zealand through the age groups rowing both sides.
Post-Tokyo Olympics, Matt teamed up with fellow team mate from the Eight - Tom Mackintosh, in the Elite Men’s Pair for 2022. The pair raced at World Rowing Cup II, claiming Gold in their first international race in the small boat event. The field really showed how strong it was later on in the season, where Matt and Tom were were just shy of the medals at World Rowing Cup III and at the World Rowing Championship A-Finals.
At the 2023 NZ Rowing Championship, Matt teamed up with fellow Elite Men’s Sweeper, Brooke Robertson, winning Gold in the Men’s Premier Pair - claiming another red coat. Matt also teamed up with fellow Auckland Grammar School Old-Boy, Jack Ready, claiming Bronze in the Men’s Premier Double Scull.
Matt has been selected as part of the Elite Men’s Sweep Squad for 2023, coached by Mike Rodger. Matt and his fresh new crew in the NZ Men's Elite Four consisting of himself, Logan Ullrich, Ollie Maclean and Tom Murray - went on to claim Bronze at the 2023 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland. He will be setting the bar high with wanting to work towards qualifying the Men’s Four for the Paris 2024 Olympics this year at the 2023 World Rowing Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.
Off the water, Matt is working towards a Bachelor Business, Majoring in Economics through Massey University. He enjoys playing golf, fishing, surfing and relaxing in his spare time.