Brooke Francis

EVENT: Women’s Double Sculls

Brooke Francis (nee Donoghue) is an Olympic champion and an Olympic silver medallist, having stood on the podium at both the Paris 2024 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Francis’ gold medal win came in the women’s double scull with boatmate Lucy Spoors at Paris 2024.

The New Zealanders were in fourth place early in the race but gradually moved through the field, hitting the lead with 550 metres remaining.

The pair were neck and neck with the Romanians but had enough left to reach the line first by less than a quarter of a second. They were timed at 6min 50.45s, with the Romanians second in 6min 50.69s. Great Britain were third, 2½ seconds further back.

The New Zealanders’ hard-earned victory was notable as both Francis and Spoors became mothers in 2022, and they made history as the first crew of mothers to win an Olympic rowing medal.

At the previous Olympic Games, racing in hot conditions at Tokyo's Sea Forrest Waterway, Francis competed in the same double scull alongside Hannah Osborne. The pair finished second, winning the silver medal behind Romania in a time of 6m 44.82s.

Tokyo was Francis’ debut Olympics. She began rowing in 2010 at Mercer Rowing Club and made her international debut at the junior level in 2013.

She made her elite debut in 2016 in the Women's Quadruple Sculls. She won the 2019 World Championships in the double alongside Olivia Loe.