Australian coach returns to Romania

Australia and South Australia is losing one of the top rowing coaches in the world with the announcement that Adrian David will return to Romania at the end of 2008.

Adrian David has been the head coach of rowing at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) for over 10 years but chose not to apply to renew his work contract with SASI which ends at the end of this calendar year.

In the decade he has spent at SASI he has coached many South Australian athletes as well as a number of national squads and crews to outstanding success.

Three of the Australian winning world titles crews that he coached were the first Australian crews to ever win those boat classes. His first time Australian winning crews won the women’s double sculls, the lightweight women’s quad and the lightweight women’s double sculls titles.

Five of his Australian world championship winning crews set World Best Times in their boat classes.

David was coach of the Australian lightweight women’s double sculls at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

In his time at SASI, the 58 year old coach has twice been a finalist in the FISA World Rowing Coach of the Year. He won the Australian Rowing Coach of the Year in 2006 and David has been the SASI Coach of the Year five times.

David’s SA crews have won the Australian interstate Sate of Origin lightweight women’s quad title six times.

David has always been a loyal and hard working coach who always made getting the best equipment, facilities and conditions for his athletes for training and racing as his first priority for his rowers.

This year he was honoured in his home country, Romania and was awarded the highest national medal for his achievements in rowing from the President of Romania. David has already been offered a position in Romania with the Ministry of Sport to begin next year.

Copy thanks to Phil Mangelsdorf.

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