Rob Waddell
![]() Waddell in 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Te Kūiti, New Zealand | 7 January 1975|||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relative | Alistair Scown (father-in-law) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Robert Norman Waddell Summer Olympics.
Personal life
Waddell was born in 1975 in
In 1998, he married fellow rower Sonia Scown, the daughter of a former All Black, Alistair Scown.[6]
2003 Team New Zealand America's Cup defence
Rob Waddell switched to sailing for the Team New Zealand 2003 America's Cup defence. He trained as a grinder.
2007 America's Cup
He participated again in the
2008 Olympics
In 2008 he made a comeback to rowing after leaving the sport after the 2000 Sydney Olympics, in pursuit of a sailing career as a grinder. With 8 years out of the sport he broke the 2000 m and 5000 m world records on the rowing machine and defeated Mahé Drysdale, the world champion in the single sculls, who was also a New Zealander. As it was an Olympic year and only one crew can be sent to the Olympics in each boat class the stage was set for a battle to see who would fill the Olympic single sculls spot. Despite Waddell getting the better of Drysdale in the domestic regattas the selectors created a three-race trial to decide who would go. With the wins for each sculler tied at 1–1 it came down to a final race which Drysdale won.
Waddell was then selected into the double sculls with the young
Waddell retired from rowing to take up sailing again. Cohen went on to win the gold medal in double sculls at the next Olympic Games in 2012, with rowing partner Joseph Sullivan as Waddell's replacement.[10]
2013 Team New Zealand America's Cup challenge
In the
Medal tally
- Olympic medals: 1 gold
- World Championship medals: 2 gold
Olympic Games – rowing
- 1996 – 7th, Single Sculls
- 2000 – 1st, Single Sculls
- 2008 – 4th, Double Sculls
World Championships – rowing
- 1999 – Gold, single sculls
- 1998 – Gold, single sculls
- 1997 – 8th, single sculls
- 1995 – 10th, coxless four (4-)
- 1994 – 5th coxed pair (2+)
- 1994 – 13th coxless pair (2-)
References
- ^ "World Records". Concept2. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Rob Waddell Chat". olympic.org.nz. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ No. 17, Waddell overcomes heart ailment for gold New Zealand Herald, 9 July 2012.
- ^ "Olympic gold medalist and Chef de Mission a distinguished alumnus". University of Waikato. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ "New Year honours list 2001". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 30 December 2000. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Lib (18 September 2013). "Waddell's in-laws living Cup challenge". Waikato Times. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ "Rowing at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games: Men's Double Sculls | Olympics". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ Logan Savory (21 March 2012). "Rower Nathan Cohen has eye on Olympic prize". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ Ian Anderson (27 December 2011). "Rowing duo Cohen, Sullivan eye London Olympics". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ "Rowing at the 2012 London Summer Games: Men's Double Sculls | Olympics". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2013.