Announcing the 2010 World Rowing Award winners

The honours have gone to New Zealand’s head coach Dick Tonks, the Czech Republic’s Men’s Single Sculler Ondrej Synek, Great Britain’s dynamic duo of Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger from the Women’s Double Sculls as well as the dominating adaptive rower Tom Aggar also of Great Britain. Hart Perry of the United States is honoured with the Distinguished Service award for his long serving role in rowing.

FISA President Denis Oswald commented that the nominees were of the highest calibre across all of the five award categories. "We started off with more than 50 names in some of the categories and amongst these there was no shortage of nominees with top credentials."

2010 World Rowing Coach of the Year: Dick Tonks, New Zealand

The ongoing success of Dick Tonks is evident as he is a regular nominee for this award, which he already won in 2005. As testament to his coaching prowess as head coach for New Zealand Rowing is the fact that New Zealand rowers know that they have made it when Tonks chooses to coach them. He is the coach behind all of the country’s top rowers for the last two decades including Brenda Lawson and Philippa Baker, Rob Waddell, Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh, Mahe Drysdale, Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond. 

In 2010 Tonks was a big part of the 10 medals won by New Zealand at the World Rowing Championships. His own crews included the gold medal men’s pair.
Tonks is often seen as a man of few words, but when he speaks people listen. He has a knack of being able to read his athletes and he receives huge respect from coaches and athletes alike.

2010 World Rowing Male Crew of the Year: Ondrej Synek, Czech Republic, men’s single scull

Racing in the Blue Riband event, the men’s single scull, Ondrej Synek can claim to be the current fastest rower in the world. Synek completed an unbeaten season, including his first World Champion title in the single. In the final at this year’s World Rowing Championships, Synek held off the reigning World Champion, Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand in front of Drysdale’s home crowd as well as a field that included reigning Olympic Champion Olaf Tufte.

Synek won his World Champion singles title at a time when the men’s single field is at its very best. The World Best Time is continually under threat and just making the final in this event is considered a huge feat.

2010 World Rowing Female Crew of the Year: Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger, Great Britain, women’s double sculls

Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger were already very successful elite athletes, but when they teamed up in the women’s double sculls in 2010, it turned out to be the perfect combination. Watkins and Grainger won every major race that they entered in 2010 culminating in a World Champion title of dominating style.

Watkins and Grainger also doubled up for the Rowing World Cup season racing in the women’s quadruple sculls. Despite the often tight schedule, Watkins and Grainger medalled in every race they entered.

2010 World Rowing Adaptive Crew of the Year: Tom Aggar, Great Britain, adaptive men's single scull

Tom Aggar has set the standard in adaptive rowing. He has put himself in a class of his own and remained unbeaten throughout the season. On top of this Aggar continues to improve and has already broken his on World Best Time more than once.

This is the second year running that Aggar has won this award.

2010 World Rowing Distinguished Service to International Rowing: Hart Perry, United States

Hart Perry’s list of contributions to rowing is long and detailed and includes input at the grass roots level of the sport right through to contributions at the international level. Internationally Perry served as a FISA umpire for nearly three decades (1971 – 1999) and he was a long time member of FISA’s youth commission. Perry is also a long time steward of the Henley Royal Regatta.

In the United States, Perry is a long serving coach of youth rowing at the legendary Kent School. He is the executive director of the US National Rowing Foundation and past president of USRowing. He is a member of the New York based Power Ten group who are important fundraisers for elite rowing.

Perry has over 50 years of contributions to the sport of rowing. 

The winners were announced and the awards presented at the annual World Rowing Awards Gala dinner which was held at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley, Great Britain on the occasion of the 2011 World Rowing Coaches Conference.

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