Rotorua Rowing Club

Friday, April 23, 2010

A rowing legend- Rob Waddell

PHOTO; 2.3.09;ROB WADDELL ALONE AT KARAPIRO WARMING UP AT 7AM BEFORE HIS TRIAL RACE AGAINST MAHE DRYSDALE FOR THE POSITON OF SINGLE SCULLER ON THE NZ ELITE TEAM FOR THE 2009 WORLD CHAMPS (Ann Woolliams)

PHOTO; MAHE DRYSDALE POWERS OVER ROB WADDELL AT NZ ROWING TRIALS (Ann Woolliams)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Waddell

Robert "Rob" Norman Waddell, ONZM, (born January 7, 1975 in Te Kuiti) is a New Zealand rower, yachtsman and rugby union player. Waddell has one of the highest VO₂ max intake levels of any athlete ever tested. He holds the fastest 2000 meter indoor rowing machine time in the world, clocking a time of 5 mins 36.6secs (5:36.6).

DISTANCE TIME AGE YEAR

2000m 5:36:6 32 2008

2000m 5:38:3 24 1999

He also holds the record for 5000m on the rowing machine with a time of 14:58. This made him the first person to go sub 15min for this distance . In 2008 he made a comeback to rowing after leaving the sport after the 2000 Sydney Olympics in pursuit of a sailing career as a grinder. With 8 years out of the sport he broke the 2000m and 5000m on the rowing machine and defeated Mahe Drysdale, the then world champion in the single sculls, who was also a New Zealander. As it was an Olympic year and only one crew can be sent to the Olympics in each boat class the stage was set for a battle to see who would fill the Olympic single sculls spot. Despite Rob getting the better of Mahe Drysdale in the domestic regattas the selectors created a 3 race trial to decide who would go. With the wins for each sculler tied at 1-1 it came down to a final race in which Mahe won. Rob was later selected into the double with the young Nathan Cohen. They finished a disappointing 4th at the Olympics.