Australia and Olympic Rowing

Pre-Beijing Australian rowers had won 29 Olympic medals. Australia first sent rowers to the Stockholm Games in 1912 with a very proud history being forged, particularly in the sculling events. The legendary Henry ‘Bobby’ Pearce won the single sculls in Amsterdam in 1928 and Los Angeles 1932. Mervyn Wood won the single sculls in London in 1948 and finished second at Helsinki four years later. At the Melbourne 1956 Games, Wood and Murray Riley won the bronze medal in the double sculls. Wood is the only person to carry the Australian flag at two opening ceremonies, in Helsinki and Melbourne.

Australia’s first medal by a sweep-oared boat came with the men’s eight in Helsinki. The eights won bronze medals again at Melbourne 1956, Los Angeles 1984 and Athens 2004 and silver medals at Mexico City 1968 and Sydney 2000.

The famous “Oarsome Foursome” won the coxless fours in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta 1996. Also in Barcelona, Peter Antonie and Stephen Hawkins won the double sculls. James Tomkins and Drew Ginn combined to win the men's coxless pairs in Athens.

Australia's most successful Olympic rowers are James Tomkins and Mike McKay with four medals each. Tomkins won gold medals as part of the ‘Oarsome Foursome’ in Barcelona and Atlanta and with Drew Ginn in the men's pair in Athens and a bronze medal with Matthew Long in the men's pair in Sydney. McKay also won gold medals as part of the “Oarsome Foursome” in 1992 and 1996, and silver and bronze medals in the eights in Sydney and Athens respectively.

Olympic History

Rowing was scheduled to appear in Athens in 1896 but bad weather caused its cancellation. It made its Olympic debut in Paris in 1900. The seating configurations of the boats in the Olympic regatta have changed a number of times since then.

Women’s rowing was introduced at the Olympic at Montreal 1976 and lightweight rowing, for men and women, was introduced at Atlanta 1996.