New Zealand Rowing loses Waddell, keeps Tonks

Sailing is next for Rob Waddell

After a remarkable comeback New Zealand’s Rob Waddell has, again, hung up his oars. The 2000 Olympic champion in the men’s single is planning to go back to sailing. But Waddell has left the door open to the opportunity to return to rowing saying that at 33 years old he is still young for playing sport.

Waddell left rowing in 2000 and staged a dramatic comeback in 2007. After trying for the single he was selected to row at the Beijing Olympics in a double with Nathan Cohen. Waddell and Cohen won two international races in their lead up to Beijing but the duo finished fourth at Beijing. Waddell admitted he was very disappointed with the result.

Meanwhile New Zealand Rowing’s head coach Richard Tonks will continue in this role. He has renewed his contract for the next Olympic cycle. Tonks became head coach in 2001 and gained much notoriety after New Zealand won four gold medals at the 2005 World Rowing Championships. Tonks is New Zealand’s most successful international coach and his list of rowing charges include Brenda Lawson and Philippa Baker, Rob Waddell, Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh, Mahe Drysdale and Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.

Head coach Richard Tonks inspecting a boat

Tonks has had offers to coach from other countries, including the Czech Republic, but he has chosen to stay in New Zealand.

New Zealand, however, has lost their high performance director. Andrew Matheson will leave to work for Rowing Australia in November. Rowing New Zealand’s chairman, Bill Falconer says they have already heard from a number of impressive candidates to fill Matheson’s role.

One of New Zealand’s 2008 Olympians has announced retirement. Nicola Coles is one of the longest standing members of the New Zealand team having been with the elite squad since 1998. Her biggest success has been in the women’s pair. Coles has raced at two Olympic Games in this boat and took the World Championship title in 2005 with partner Juliette Haigh.

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