From 11 Knee Surgeries to World Record Holder

Injury doesn’t have to be a barrier to breaking records. Just ask Tim Clarke. From Bedford, UK, Clarke has stormed into the record books, holding the 100m, one-minute, and 500m World Rowing and British Rowing records, as well as the British 100m SkiErg record. Remarkably, he secured all of these achievements in a single extraordinary week around his 65th birthday. And he isn’t finished yet. Clarke is now preparing for serious competition in the coming months.

Finding rowing through injury

Clarke’s journey to the rowing machine has been anything but straightforward. He was once an avid rugby player, competing at an elite level with the semi-professional rugby club Bedford Blues. But playing a full-contact sport came at a cost: he suffered severe injuries, including rupturing both his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and dislocating his left knee.

Although Clarke first dabbled in rowing more than 20 years ago, when his eldest daughter, a talented rower at Dame Alice school, posted an impressive 7:23 2k at just 15, it wasn’t until eight years ago, following a total knee replacement, that he took up indoor rowing seriously.

“I have only ever been an indoor rower,” he explains. “Sprint rowing was becoming more popular and it suited me because rowing is a lot easier on the joints than other activities.”

That decision was life-changing. Clarke, who once weighed 143kg, committed to a new fitness regime centred on rowing, helping him lose 20 kg in weight.

Crossing continents

His drive also carried him far beyond the rowing machine. Clarke paused competitive rowing for three years to take on epic endurance cycling challenges with his close friend John Pryer. Together they rode across the USA, from Astoria, Oregon, to Yorktown, Virginia, covering 4,115 miles in just 63 days. Later, the duo cycled across South America, travelling from Valparaíso in Chile, over the Andes, and on to Buenos Aires. These adventures raised more than £10,000 for the mental health charity Mind. He also won a number of indoor cycling competitions.

A new goal after loss

Clarke returned to indoor rowing last year, initially with what he described as “idle thoughts” regarding attempts to break the one-minute age-group World Rowing record. His training was initially, “haphazard”, until his mother sadly passed away in December. From that moment, Clarke resolved to honour her memory with a serious record attempt.

From February 2025, he began training under coach James Hall and sports therapist Martina Sharp. Together they built an intense programme of four rowing sessions and three weights sessions each week, alongside as much walking and light cycling as possible.

A birthday to remember

Everything came together around Clarke’s 65th birthday at the end of July. Within one remarkable week he:

• Broke the one-minute age-group World Rowing record, covering 376 metres – 11 metres further than the previous distance set.

• The next day, set a new 100m World Record with a time of 14.7 seconds, taking the title from former England rugby international Steve Bainbridge.

• After a day’s rest, he claimed the British SkiErg 100m record.

• To finish the week, Clarke sprinted 500m with a time of 1:23.7, breaking the then World Rowing record by 1.4 seconds.

“I honestly never believed that I would reach these levels,” Clarke reflects. “But it shows what the body and mind are capable of. I became lighter, stronger, fitter, and with less body fat.” He is quick to credit his support team for helping him along the way.

What comes next

“For me, I am delighted with what I have achieved and proud to dedicate it to my mum,” Clarke says. “A lot of people have told me they’ve been inspired to get fitter by what I’ve done. It feels fantastic to be fit and strong again at my age, and I’m enjoying the process as much as the results.”

Clarke’s focus now is firmly set on the British Rowing Indoor Championships in December, followed by the World Rowing Indoor Championships next year.

World Rowing congratulates Tim Clarke on his extraordinary achievements and looks forward to seeing him compete at the World Rowing Indoor Championships (WRICH) in 2026. Further details on how to enter WRICH will be announced in due course.