Mahé Drysdale

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Mahé Drysdale
File:Mahe Drysdale 20.2.2010 NZ Rowing Champs (117)h.JPG
Personal information
Full name Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale
Born (1978-11-19) 19 November 1978 (age 45)
Melbourne, Australia
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 100 kg (220 lb)
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing Single sculls
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Gifu Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2006 Eton Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2007 Munich Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2009 Poznań Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2011 Bled Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2010 Karapiro Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2014 Amsterdam Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2015 Aiguebelette Single sculls

Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale, MNZM (born 19 November 1978)[1] is a New Zealand rower. Drysdale is the current Olympic champion and five-time World champion in the single sculls. The name Mahé comes from the largest island in the Seychelles.[2]

Drysdale attended Tauranga Boys' College in Tauranga, New Zealand, then the University of Auckland.[3] He began rowing at university at the age of 18. He gave up rowing to concentrate on his studies, but began rowing again after watching fellow New Zealander Rob Waddell win gold at the 2000 Olympic Games.[4]

Drysdale is a member of the West End Rowing Club in Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand, and Tideway Scullers, London.

World Championships

Drysdale began competing at World Cup level in 2002, in the New Zealand coxless four. After the 2004 Olympic Games, in which his New Zealand crew finished fifth in the final, Drysdale switched to the single scull, winning the 2005 World Championships at Gifu, Japan, despite having broken two vertebrae in a crash with a water skier earlier in the year.[5]

He successfully defended his title in 2006 at Dorney Lake, Eton, England, in 2007 at Munich, Germany, and again in 2009 in Poznań, Poland, holding off Britain's Alan Campbell and Czech Republic's Ondřej Synek. At the 2009 World Rowing Championships he also beat his own World Record in the single and reduced it to 6:33.35.[6]

Olympic Games

At his first Olympic Games, in 2004, Drysdale was part of the New Zealand coxless four team that finished fifth.[7]

Drysdale was officially selected as New Zealand's Olympic heavyweight sculler for the Beijing Olympics on 7 March 2008. He was also chosen to carry the flag for New Zealand during the parade of nations in the opening ceremony.[8] Unfortunately for Drysdale, a severe gastrointestinal infection in the week before his final saw him off form[9] and he was only able to win the bronze medal in the men's single scull. The gold and silver medals went to Olaf Tufte from Norway and Ondřej Synek from the Czech Republic, respectively. Clearly suffering from his illness, after his race Drysdale was carried by life raft and then moved to a waiting ambulance. He was also seen vomiting. He was, however, able to stand to be awarded his medal.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics Drysdale won the gold medal in the men's single sculls, despite throwing up the morning of race day due to nervousness.[10] He has since said he may not compete at the next rowing world championships but will attempt to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics, and in the meantime may take on new challenges such as ironman and New Zealand's annual Coast To Coast multisport event.[11]

New Zealand national championships

Drysdale won the gold medal six times in single sculls at the New Zealand National championships through 2010.[12] In 2011, he won the silver medal in single sculls at the 2011 New Zealand National Rowing Championships at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel, losing to Nathan Cohen by two lengths.[12] He reclaimed the national title in 2012, as Cohen took second.[13] He did not compete in 2013.[14]

Awards

Drysdale won the 2006 supreme Halberg award,[15] the University of Auckland Young Alumnus of the Year Award in 2007,[16] and was awarded Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rowing in the 2009 New Year Honours.[17]

Drysdale won the Sportsground.co.nz Sportsman of the Year award in 2008.[18]

Canoe polo

Drysdale has also represented New Zealand in canoe polo as a junior.[2] He represented NZ in an under-18 team that toured to Fiji. Later he was a NZ under-21 representative that toured to Tonga. In 1999–2000 he was executive of NZ Canoe Polo.

References

  1. ↑ New Zealand Olympic Committee profile[dead link]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Drysdale starts golden day throwing up
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Auckland Sporting Excellence Awards, InfoNews. 12 December 2008.

External links

Awards
Preceded by New Zealand's Sportsman of the Year
2006, 2007
2009
2012		 Succeeded by
Scott Dixon
Richie McCaw
Scott Dixon
Preceded by Lonsdale Cup of the New Zealand Olympic Committee
2009		 Succeeded by
Silver Ferns
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