Mahe Drysdale

EVENT: Rowing - Men - Single Scull, Coxless Four

Mahé won gold at London in 2012 and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and the bronze medal in the same event at Beijing in 2008.

He won also five single sculls world titles from 2005-11 and three silver medals. He won his first world title at Gifu, Japan, despite having broken two vertebrae in a crash with a water skier earlier in the year.

After competing in the 2004 Athens Olympics in the New Zealand coxless four (who placed fifth in the final), Drysdale quickly developed into a superb single sculler.

Drysdale, an imposing 1.99m (6ft 6in) tall, became the greatest single sculler of his era, and certainly belonged in the royal line of New Zealand single scullers that began with William Webb, Dick Arnst and Darcy Hadfield a century or more ago and continued more recently with Eric Verdonk and Rob Waddell.

By 2008 Drysdale was a heavy favourite to win the Olympic gold medal. He was named captain of the New Zealand Olympic team, a much-deserved honour. But it necessitated him having a late night after the evening opening ceremony, which was held in strength-sapping heat. He was not able to get back to the rowing camp that evening and slept in the Olympic village. It was disruptive, with his first-round heat early the morning after the ceremony.

Drysdale picked up a gastro bug, which affected him all week and by the time he’d fought his way through to the final, he was a much weakened rower. He battled courageously in the final and snatched a bronze medal, though he was in bad shape for some time after the race. He had to be assisted to the medal ceremony.

After winning the gold medal well in 2012, there was much interest in whether the New Zealander could retain his crown at Rio in 2016, when he was nearly 38 years old. As it turned out, he beat Croatia's Damir Martin by just seven one-thousandths of a second after a thrilling duel.

Drysdale harboured hopes of another Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, but when those Games were postponed a year because of Covid, he retired, aged 42. He’d fitted into the New Zealand eight (along with another legendary rower, Hamish Bond) and was part of the team that finished sixth in the world championships at Ottensheim, Austria.

Born in Melbourne in 1978 to New Zealand parents, Drysdale lived in England until he was 11. He took up rowing at 18 after having previously favoured canoe polo, at which he represented New Zealand at junior level.

He was inspired by gold medal winner Rob Waddell's performance at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and began rowing while studying at Auckland University. Despite some tough competition along the way, including from Nathan Twaddle, Waddell on the comeback, Nathan Cohen, Hamish Bond and Robbie Manson, he won nine national single sculls titles.

In 2009 Drysdale was the International Rowing Federation's male Rower of the Year.  In 2022 the Federation awarded him the Thomas Keller Medal. It is the sport's highest honour and is awarded within five years of an athlete's retirement, acknowledging an exceptional rowing career and exemplary sportsmanship.

He won the Halberg Supreme Award in 2006 and was Sportsman of the Year five times between 2006 and 2016. He was awarded the NZOC’s Lonsdale Cup in 2009. Drysdale was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009.