Nominate now for Filippi Spirit Award and Thomas Keller Medal

University student-rower award

The Filippi Spirit Award is open to university students who, through the core values of rowing, have inspired exceptional success in their lives in education, business, sport or charity. To recognise the merits of this student, a new Filippi racing eight will be awarded to the winner’s university rowing club.

The Filippi Spirit Award is open to current university students worldwide who study full-time and row regularly for a university rowing club.

For rowers in some countries (such as the United States where NCAA regulations apply), the awards will be adjusted to conform with national eligibility regulations. Each nomination must be made by two of the nominated rower’s teammates, supported by the rowing club and endorsed by the university. Only one member may be nominated by each club.

The 2018 winner was Amidu Silva. See him here.
Nominate here. 

Rowing’s most prestigious award

The Thomas Keller Medal is the highest distinction in the sport of rowing. It is awarded to recognise an exceptional international rowing career as well as exemplary sportsmanship and legendary aspect.

To be awarded the Thomas Keller Medal the following five factors are taken into consideration:

1. Success at the international level
2. “Type” of career
3. Technical mastery of the sport
4. Sportsmanship
5. “Legendary” aspect

The award was named after the late President of FISA, Thomas Keller (Thomi). Born in 1924, Keller was elected President of FISA in 1958 as a 34-year-old and was then the youngest-ever president of an international sports federation. Keller spontaneously awarded the FISA Medal of Honour to single scullers Peter-Michael Kolbe (Germany) and Pertti Karppinen (Finland) following the 1988 Olympic Games to commemorate one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the sport, thereby recognising their exceptional talent and sportsmanship. This shaped the idea for the Thomas Keller Medal which was initiated by the Keller family and first awarded in 1990.

Each year the winner is carefully selected by the Thomas Keller Medal committee which includes Keller’s son Dominik. The aim is to ensure that the true values in which Keller so strongly believed are represented.

In 2018 the award went to the great pair combination of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond from New Zealand. Murray and Bond had an unprecedented winning streak which included two Olympic gold medals during their time in the pair.

Previous winners include Eskild Ebbesen (Denmark), Vaclav Chalupa (Czech Republic), Iztok Cop (Slovenia), James Tomkins (Australia), Kathrin Boron (Germany), Elisabeta Lipa (Romania) and Steve Redgrave (Great Britain).

See the 2018 winners, Murray and Bond, here.
Nominate here.

Nominations close for both awards on 30 September 2019.