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Ria Thompson

Ria Thompson

Age

26

Place of Birth

VIC

Senior Club

University of Queensland Boat Club

Coach

Andrew Randell

Olympic History

Tokyo 2020

High School

Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School (Year 7-12)

Career Events

Rowing Womens Quadruple Sculls (W4x)

 

Ria's Story

Fast Facts

Sport: Rowing
Event: Women’s Quadruple Scull
Olympic History: Tokyo 2020 (bronze)
Coaches: John Keogh (Head Coach), Tom Westgarth, Ellen Randell
Highlights: Bronze at Tokyo 2020, Gold at 2019 U23 World Championships
Year Born: 1997
Born: Victoria
Junior Club: Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School (Essendon, Victoria)

About Ria

As a member of Rowing Australia’s National Training Centre, Ria Thompson first entered international competition in 2018 when she was named to the U23 women’s double scull for the Junior World Championship, finishing fifth in the medal race.

The following year, Thompson was the 2019 World Rowing U23 Champion in the women's single scull.

At the final Olympic qualification regatta in 2021 Thompson, alongside crewmates Harriet Hudson, Caitlin Cronin and Rowena Meredith, ensured the participation of the women’s quadruple scull in Tokyo 2020 with the four earning gold to secure an Olympic berth.

Training out of Rowing Australia’s National Training Centre, Ria's preparation delivered a memorable Olympic debut. She joined fellow debutants Ria Thompson, Rowena Meredith and Harriet Hudson with the crew winning a bronze medal in emphatic fashion.

Having qualified their boat late for the Games by virtue of winning the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, the crew faced a tough field and earned their position in the Final the hard way, via the repechage after they finished fourth in their heat.

The crew came up against USA, Italy, Great Britain and New Zealand in a tough race that required a top two finish to progress to the A-Final. The Olympic debutants crossed the line first and booked their position in the Olympic final.

The Aussies maintained fifth position for the first 1500-metres of the Final but their composure and boat speed in tough conditions pushed them through to take the bronze, ahead of crews from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

The result came during the ‘the hour of power,’ a moment in time when Australia’s Men’s and Women’s Fours stormed home for gold and the Men’s and Women’s Quadruple Sculls claimed bronze. The four medals won by Australian rowing crews, along with swimmer Ariarne Titmus' gold medal in the 200 metres freestyle, contributed to the most successful period in the history of the Australian Olympic Team.

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