Finalists for World Rowing 2008 Awards decided
The best of 2008 on the international rowing scene are coming close to being decided. The finalists in the 2008 World Rowing awards have been named.
2008 WORLD ROWING COACH OF THE YEAR
Juergen Grobler (GBR)
Grobler does not let an Olympic Games go by without having at least one of his crews win a gold medal. As head men’s coach for Great Britain, Grobler was behind the men’s four that won gold at Beijing. Grobler began his coaching career in East Germany and from 1972 to 1988 he produced gold medal crews. Moving to Great Britain in 1991, Grobler continued his winning ways with his name attached to the likes of Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and the 2008 Olympic champion men’s four of Andy Triggs Hodge, Steve Williams, Pete Reed and Tom James.
Mike Spracklen (CAN)
Winning the men’s eight at the Olympics is an extremely difficult and coveted prize in rowing. Spracklen has done it twice. There was no doubt coming into the Beijing Olympics that his men’s eight were the crew to beat and in the final they made winning look easy. Spracklen has coached Olympic crews in Canada, the United States and in his birth country, Great Britain. He first won Olympic gold in the men’s eight in 1992 when he was coaching for Canada.
Aleksander Wojciechowski (POL)
Wojciechowski has all but sewn up the men’s quad for the last four years. His crew has made a clean sweep of a full Olympic cycle of winning. They took the World Championship title in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and along the way set the World Best Time. Despite a bit of a rocky season in 2008 his crew of Konrad Wasielewski, Marek Kolbowicz, Michal Jelinski and Adam Korol made all of the right moves at Beijing and became Olympic Champions.
2008 WORLD ROWING MALE CREW OF THE YEAR
Drew Ginn and Duncan Free (AUS, M2-)
Ginn had a 2004 Olympic title in the men’s pair to defend. Free was yet to win an Olympic medal. Together they proved to be the right combination by taking out the World Championship title in 2006 and 2007. Leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics Ginn was fighting off a back injury. This did not stop him racing to another Olympic title. 2008 was the year that Ginn and Free won the men’s pair at the Olympic Games. In 2007 they were named World Rowing Male Crew of the Year.
Konrad Wasielewski, Marek Kolbowicz, Michal Jelinski and Adam Korol (POL, M4x)
The men’s quad has been firmly in the hands of this Polish crew ever since 2005. Mixing experience with new blood after the 2004 Olympics paid off with the crew remaining together and remaining at the head of the field. Despite a loss coming for the first time in their 2008 Rowing World Cup season, the crew rowed to gold in Beijing. In 2006 they were named World Rowing Male Crew of the Year.
Olaf Tufte (NOR, M1x)
Known for his huge work capacity, Tufte is one of the few back-to-back Olympic Champions. His chosen boat is the single and he has been in this boat since 2001. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Tufte scored gold but then spent the next three years chasing world champion Mahe Drysdale. But, in the most important race, Tufte pulled off the win. Tufte successfully defended his Olympic title.
2008 WORLD ROWING FEMALE CREW OF THE YEAR
Rumyana Neykova (BUL, W1x)
A break from rowing did not prevent Neykova from getting nearly to the top of her game in 2007 in the women’s single and then finishing it off with an Olympic gold medal in 2008. This is despite the absolute domination by her arch rival Ekaterina Karsten in the three years leading up to the Beijing Olympics. No one could have been happier on the medals podium on the shores of the Shunyi regatta course than Neykova.
Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell (NZL, W2x)
When identical twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell paired up in the double they started winning internationally. It began with silver in 2001 and built up to Olympic gold in 2004. Despite losing their early dominance the Evers-Swindell’s won the race that counted, the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The race was one of the closest of the regatta with a photo finish used to finally determine the winners. With that they joined a very small and elite group of New Zealanders who have two Olympic champion titles.
Erin Cafaro, Lindsay Shoop, Anna Goodale, Eleanor Logan, Anna Cummins, Susana Francia, Caroline Lind, Caryn Davies and Mary Whipple (c) (USA, W8+)
The women’s eight has been dominated at the Olympic Games by Romania in recent years. The United States changed all of that when they crossed the line in first place at the Beijing Olympics. Different formations of the crew have been together since the Athens Olympics where they won silver. Tenacity and perseverance paid off.
2008 WORLD ROWING DISTINGUISHED SERVICES TO INTERNATIONAL ROWING
Christopher Dodd (GBR)
If you want to know anything about the history of rowing, Chris Dodd is the one to ask. Amongst his many published books is The History of Rowing. Dodd has dedicated his life to rowing and is a former FISA commission member. He is regularly in print in Great Britain as a rowing journalist. Dodd is also behind England’s River and Rowing Museum.
Jose Nunes (POR)
When adaptive rowing was starting to develop Jose Nunes was there. He was the first Chair of FISA’s adaptive rowing commission and is credited as the main driver for the inclusion of rowing on the programme at the Paralympic Games.
Zhang Qing (CHN)
Long-time Chinese sports official, Qing was head of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee (BOCOG) International Relations until his recent retirement and is FISA Continental Representative for Asia since the early 1990s.
These finalists will be narrowed down to one in each category with the winners announced during the gala dinner at the World Rowing Coaches Conference in Paris, France, on Saturday 8 November.
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