Going for the highest honour in rowing

(l to r) Dominik Keller, Matthew Pinsent, FISA President Denis Oswald at the 2005 Keller Medal award ceremony.

Nico Rienks

Known affectionately as "The Tommy", this 18-carat gold medal is the pinnacle of rowing awards ? the highest honour ? and for the first time nominations are open to the rowing public. This is your chance to have a say in who will be the 2006 Thomas Keller medal recipient.

The Thomas Keller medal has been around since 1990 and is all about honouring the best in the sport and those who did not simply reach the top of the world of rowing, but have done the even harder task of managing to remain there.

Last year Sir Matthew Pinsent received it after retiring from a career that included an unprecedented 11-year international winning spree and a bagging of four Olympic gold medals.

There's also been Dutch rowing legend Nico Rienks who used his own brand of persuasiveness, initiative, willpower and complete belief to win Olympic gold in the double. He then reinvented himself into stroke of the most successful Dutch men's eight and scored himself another Olympic gold. When Rienks raced at the 2000 Olympic Games it was his fifth time as an Olympic athlete.

Then there was 2003 recipient Australia's Peter Antonie who proved that size isn't everything in rowing by winning Olympic gold in the double despite being barely more than lightweight size. Antonie still competes and is known to appear in races around the globe over any distance and in any configuration.

Marnie McBean (l) and Kathleen Heddle

Marnie McBean is a household name in Canada and rightly so after proving herself at the Olympic level in just about every boat possible. She even went so far as to win 12 World and Olympic medals. McBean is still very much involved in sport and is on the executive committee of Rowing Canada.

"The Tommy" will be presented at the final Rowing World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland and the honour of bestowing this prestigious award goes to Dominik Keller, son of the former president of FISA Thomas Keller.

Please fill in, save and return your nomination form by e-mail or fax to marion.gallimore@fisa.org by 27 February and have your say in the 2006 recipient.

The World Rowing team values feedback.

Related Links
Bios of Keller Medal awardees