Lucy Spoors

Lucy Spoors began rowing at Christchurch Girls’ High School and Canterbury Rowing Club in 2005 at 15 years of age.

After just two years in the sport she made her first New Zealand team as part of the Junior Women’s Quadruple Sculls in 2007. The following year she was again selected in the Junior team, this time sweeping in the Women’s Coxless Four. The crew won Gold at the 2008 World Rowing Junior Championships in Linz, Austria. From 2009–12 Lucy was a member of the U23 Women’s Quad, making an appearance at the 2010 Elite World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro in the Women’s Four. Her U23 quad claimed Bronze in 2012 at the U23 World Rowing Championship in Trakai, Lithuania.

In 2014 she was selected in the Elite Women’s Quad and won multiple World Rowing Cup medals and World Rowing Championship A finals before narrowly missing out on qualification for Rio in 2016. In 2017, Lucy tried her hand at sweeping again and was selected in the Elite Women’s Eight. The crew won Gold at World Rowing Cup II, at the Henley Royal Regatta, Silver at World Rowing Cup III, and finished with a Bronze at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida. The year of 2017, Lucy also won her first two Premier National titles with Southern RPC, winning Gold in the Women’s premier Coxless Four and Women’s Eight – earning herself a red coat. Lucy was also in the Women’s Eight in 2018 that won a number of World Rowing Cup medals and was unlucky to miss out on the A-final at the World Rowing Championships.

2019 was Lucy’s most successful year on record. Spearheading an impressive Women’s Eight, Lucy won Gold at World Rowing Cup III and took a win at the Royal Henley regatta, but the truly notable achievement came when Lucy and the Women’s Eight won a historic first-ever World Rowing Championship Gold in Racice, Czech Republic. This also qualified the boat for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Following this success, Lucy came away with a Silver medal as part of the Women’s Eight in her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

After the Olympics, Lucy and Fiancé – Brook Robertson (Olympic Rower), announced they were having a baby. Lucy continued with monitored training going to Europe back in June of 2022, rowing at the Henley Royal Regatta when she was 17 weeks pregnant. Lucy was then ready to race in the World Cup in Lucerne, preparing to race in the Double scull with Olympic Single sculls champion Emma Twigg. 

On the 13th of December, 2022 – Rupert Sydney Robertson was born. Spoors had a return to fitness plan that went well and then was successfully  named in the 2023 Elite Women’s Double with fellow mother – Brooke Francis.

Later that year, Lucy and Brooke raced together at their first World Championships, where they progressed through to the A Final and finished an impressive fifth overall. This was a significant achievement, particularly given that both athletes had recently become mothers and that it was their first international regatta since the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Their success continued to skyrocket in 2024. Lucy and Brooke produced an outstanding season, culminating in them becoming Olympic Champions and winning gold in the Women’s Double at the Paris Olympic Games. It was an incredible achievement and an incredibly special moment, made even more meaningful by having both of their families and children there to witness and celebrate it with them.

Following their Olympic success, Lucy continued to pursue her rowing ambitions while balancing life as a mother. She and her partner based herself in Sydney for her training, continuing to develop and prepare for her return to international competition. In early 2026, Lucy returned to Lake Karāpiro and resumed training in New Zealand. She made her competitive comeback at the 2026 New Zealand Rowing Championships, where she and Brooke once again became National Champions in the Women’s Double.

Later in 2026, Lucy and Brooke travelled to the United Kingdom to compete at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta. The duo had incredible racing and won the Stoner Challenge Cup (Women’s Premier Double)

Since returning from the UK, Lucy has continued training in New Zealand in preparation for her return to the 2026–27 Summer Squad in late September. Her journey since the Tokyo Olympic Games, including returning to the sport after becoming a mother, winning Olympic gold, training internationally from Sydney and then returning to the New Zealand high-performance environment, demonstrates her continued commitment to achieving at the highest level of rowing.

Off the water, she has completed a degree in Linguistics through Massey University. She has been enjoying motherhood and showing Baby Ru the world with her husband, Brook Robertson.