Catherine Layburn
Catherine (Cat) started rowing back in 2013 with North Shore Rowing Club.
Cat made her first appearance in 2016 rowing for the NZ Trans-Tasman University Rowing Team, going undefeated in all her races. Cat earned herself a spot in the 2016/17 Auckland RPC Squad, in which she won her first National title in the Women's U22 Coxless Four at the 2017 NZ National Rowing Championship, as well as silver medals in the Women’s U20 and U22 Coxless Pair. She went on to race in the Trans-Tasman Series with the NZ U21 Team in Women's Sweep in 2017.
In 2018, Cat went on to be a two-time National Champion in the Women's U22 Coxless Four and also won Gold in the U22 Pair with Auckland RPC. Cat earned a seat in the NZ U23 Women's Coxless Four that competed at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. The crew claimed 5th in Catherine's first World Championship appearance. She continued a strong season being selected into the NZ Summer Squad for the 2018/2019 season. Cat defended her U22 Pair title at the 2019 National Rowing Championship, winning Gold. She solidified her seat in the NZ U23 Women's Coxless Four again, where the crew claimed 8th at the 2019 U23 World Rowing Championship in Florida, USA. Cat graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacology) from the University of Auckland at the end of 2019.
After a final season with Auckland RPC in 2019/20, Cat decided to have a break from rowing during the Covid Lockdown. She returned to rowing just 5 weeks before the 2021 NZ National Championship to dominate the Senior category, winning National Titles in both sweeping and sculling events. She continued training throughout the year at North Shore Rowing Club, and completed a Post Graduate Diploma of Science (Pharmacology, with Distinction) at the University of Auckland, eventually earning a spot in the 2021/22 Elite Development Squad.
In 2022 for World Cup II, Cat was joined by the crew - Beth Ross, Phoebe Spoors and Davina Waddy in the Women's Coxless Four. The crew put forward a great performance against an incredibly tight field in the A Final, with five seconds separating the top five crews. The Kiwis finished in 5th place, just 0.06 seconds behind the USA in 4th. 2 weeks later at Henley Royal Regatta, the same crew won The Town Challenge Cup for the first time for NZ. Later in Lucerne, Switzerland at World Cup III, the Women's Four crew came away with Bronze after they just lost out in a battle with Romania for second place. The crew placed 8th at the World Rowing Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.
After an incredible first year in her Elite rowing debut, Cat has been selected in the 2023 Elite Women’s Sweep Squad, coached by Matt Cameron. She also came away winning her first Premiere National Title in the Women's Premier Pair with partner - Jackie Gowler, claiming Gold and her first Red Coat. Cat was named in one of the Elite Women's Pairs with Stella Clayton-Greene for the 2023 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland. Unfortunately, the crew were not able to put their best performances out on the water due to illness.
Off the water, Cat has just started working on a Master of Science in Society through Victoria University of Wellington. She enjoys hiking, cooking, travelling, and going to the beach