2016 New Zealand Rowing Team creates history
The New Zealand Olympic Rowing Team to Rio 2016 was named at a formal announcement at Lake Karapiro on Friday 4 March.
London Olympic gold medallists Mahé Drysdale, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray will lead a team of 31 athletes across 33 seats in nine boat classes. This team will be the largest in New Zealand Olympic Rowing history and for the first time ever, will feature a women’s eight and a men’s lightweight four.
An additional team of 15 athletes made up of five boats has also been named to compete at the Final Qualification regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland between 22-25 May.
With seven 2015 world championship medals in Olympic events, the New Zealand Olympic Rowing team is positioned strongly in the build-up to the Olympic Games.
New Zealand Olympic President Mike Stanley, himself an Olympic rower, said he was delighted to welcome the athletes to the New Zealand Olympic Team. “New Zealand Rowers have a very strong Olympic history and have had outstanding results over the last twelve months,” he said. “While the Olympic Games environment is incredibly competitive, we have no doubt New Zealand history in Rio will be made on the rowing course.”
The Olympic Games have the power to inspire and I know the rowers named today will make their mark on New Zealanders. I would like to congratulate them and wish them the very best as their campaigns countdown to Rio.”
Rowing New Zealand High Performance Director Alan Cotter said of the trial process, “All of the athletes selected have worked enormously hard to get to this point, gone through a rigorous trialling process and have met the high standard needed to be chosen for any New Zealand rowing crew.”
Cotter acknowledged the promising results in 2015, “Rowing New Zealand crews had a great year in 2015, winning medals in seven Olympic boat classes and finishing second on the medal table behind Great Britain.
“The strong showing from the men’s and women’s eights at the World Championships in 2015 to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games demonstrates the depth of talent in our programme. With six months to go we remain confident that we will meet our high performance target to win five medals at the Rio Olympic Games.”
Headlining the New Zealand rowing team are 2012 London Olympic Gold medallists Mahe Drysdale, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray.
Bond and Murray remain an unrivalled pairing with six world championship titles to their names and are contesting their third and fourth Olympic Games respectively.
Two-time Olympic medallist and five time world champion Mahé Drysdale is looking to defend his London Olympic gold medal in the men’s single scull at his fourth Olympic Games.
Two-time world champion’s in the women’s lightweight double scull Julia Edward and Sophie MacKenzie are also confirmed, as are the world champion double scull duo of Zoe Stevenson and Eve Macfarlane.
World bronze medallists Robbie Manson and Chris Harris will compete in the men’s double scull, with Rio the second Olympic Games for both.
There is one change in the men’s lightweight four from 2015 with Peter Taylor rejoining the crew that finished fourth at the World Championships last year.
The men’s and women’s eights from 2015 will remain unchanged in their combinations with London Olympic bronze medallist Rebecca Scown teaming up with Genevieve Behrent to also contest the women’s coxless pair in Rio. This is the first time in New Zealand Rowing Olympic history athletes have contested more than one event.
The New Zealand women’s eight made history when they won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2015. It was the first time a New Zealand women’s eight had stood on the dais at a World Championships and the first time they have gained qualification for the Olympic games. The men’s lightweight four also made history, qualifying for the event for the first time ever. The last time a New Zealand men’s eight raced at the Olympic Games was in 1984.
High Performance Sport New Zealand CEO Alex Bauman also acknowledged the quality and depth of the team announced today. “We believe this is going to be one of our strongest ever rowing squads to attend an Olympics. I would like to congratulate the athletes selected to the New Zealand Olympic team today and acknowledge the years of unbelievably hard work that the athletes have put in.”
New Zealand is set to send five crews to the Final Qualification regatta from 22-25 May in Lucerne, Switzerland. The five boats will include the men’s and women’s quadruple scull, men’s coxless four, men’s lightweight double scull and women’s single scull.
The 2014 World Champion, Emma Twigg will head the team attending the Final Qualification regatta in Lucerne as she strives to secure her place in the single scull in Rio. There has been one change to the 2015 men’s quadruple scull with Nathan Flannery joining the crew. There has also been a change in the women’s quadruple scull with young sculler Brooke Donoghue making the crew and her first elite team. The men’s lightweight double will be made up of Adam Ling and Toby Cunliffe-Steele. Anthony Allen returns from the 2015 men’s coxless four and will be joined by Patrick McInnes, Drikus Conradie and Axel Dickinson in the four.
With five boats set to compete at the regatta in Lucerne the New Zealand Olympic Rowing team has the potential to become even larger with up to 14 boats. At the London Olympic Games New Zealand fielded a rowing team of 26 athletes across eleven boat classes.
An eight strong team of coaches have also been named. Noel Donaldson will continue to coach the men’s coxless pair and the men’s eight. Gary Hay will take charge of the women’s lightweight double, women’s single and men’s lightweight four, all crews which he was responsible for throughout the summer. Dick Tonks will again be responsible for the men’s single scull and women’s double scull. Dave Thompson will continue working with the women’s eight and women’s coxless pair. The men’s double and men’s lightweight double will be coached by Calvin Ferguson while Mike Rodger and James Coote will take charge of the men’s and women’s quads respectively. Gary Roberts will be responsible for the men’s coxless four.
Eight reserves have also been named for the Final Qualification regatta with reserves for the Rio Olympic Games to be selected following this event.
The New Zealand Olympic Rowing Team will depart New Zealand on 20 May for the the World Cup II in Lucerne, Switzerland, taking place 27 – 29 May and World Cup III in Poznan, Poland between 17 – 19 June. Training will continue in Europe prior to departing for Rio for the Olympic Games in late July.
The crews still aiming for Olympic Games selection will contest the Final Qualification regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland 22 – 25 May 2016, departing New Zealand 9 May.
Rowing first appeared on the Olympic programme at the first Olympic Games held in 1896 and, since then, New Zealand has won a total of 21 Olympic medals in the sport. The first New Zealand Rowing medal was a bronze won at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games by Darcey Hadfield. Forty two years later New Zealand won its first gold medal in the sport in the men’s coxed fours at the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968.
The Olympic rowing regatta will take place 6-13 August 2016 at the spectacular Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in the heart of Rio, just 10 minutes from Ipanema beach, with a spectacular backdrop of mountains, the Tijuca Forest and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue at Corcovado. Eight men’s events and six women’s events will be contested.
New Zealand Olympic Rowing Team 2016
To attend World Cup #2 Lucerne, World Cup #3 Poznan &
Olympic Games, Rio 2016
Women’s Double Scull
Zoe Stevenson
Eve Macfarlane
Dick Tonks – Coach
Lightweight Women’s Double Scull
Julia Edward
Sophie Mackenzie
Gary Hay – Coach
Women’s Coxless Pair
Rebecca Scown
Genevieve Behrent
Dave Thompson – Coach
Women’s Eight
Rebecca Scown
Genevieve Behrent
Kerri Gowler
Grace Prendergast
Kelsey Bevan
Ruby Tew
Emma Dyke
Kayla Pratt
Francie Turner (cox)
Dave Thompson – Coach
Men’s Single Scull
Mahe Drysdale
Dick Tonks – Coach
Men’s Double Scull
Chris Harris
Robbie Manson
Calvin Ferguson – Coach
Men’s Coxless Pair
Hamish Bond
Eric Murray
Noel Donaldson – Coach
Lightweight Men’s Coxless Four
James Hunter
Alistair Bond
Peter Taylor
James Lassche
Gary Hay – Coach
Men’s Eight
Stephen Jones
Brook Robertson
Alex Kennedy
Joe Wright
Isaac Grainger
Shaun Kirkham
Michael Brake
Tom Murray
Caleb Shepherd (cox)
Noel Donaldson – Coach
New Zealand Rowing Team 2016 - Qualifying
To attend Olympic Qualification Regatta, Lucerne
Women’s Single Scull
Emma Twigg
Gary Hay - Coach
Women’s Quad
Brooke Donoghue
Georgia Perry
Lucy Spoors
Sarah Gray
James Coote - Coach
Lightweight Men’s Double Scull
Toby Cunliffe-Steel
Adam Ling
Calvin Ferguson – Coach
Men’s Quad
Jade Uru
Nathan Flannery
George Bridgewater
John Storey
Mike Rodger – Coach
Men’s Coxless Four
Drikus Conradie
Axel Dickinson
Patrick McInnes
Anthony Allen
Gary Roberts – Coach
Reserves
Holly Greenslade
Ashlee Rowe
Olivia Loe
Zoe McBride
Finn Howard
Bobby Kells
Curtis Rapley
Giacomo Thomas