Thomas Keller Medal

“Any competitor who has had a long and successful rowing career and who has made an outstanding contribution to rowing as a competitor and as a sports personality will be considered for this honour. In principle, only one medal may be awarded in any one year.”

Selection Criteria – The following five factors are taken into consideration when selecting the successful recipient:

1. Success at the international level, e.g. medal count taking level of competition into account;
2. “Type” of career e.g. overcoming obstacles, shortcomings;
3. Technical mastery of the sport e.g. success in different boat types as well as sculling and sweep rowing;
4. Sportsmanship e.g. respect for others, attitude, character, “smiling win or lose”;
5. “Legendary” aspect e.g. how the rower is perceived by the rowing world and the world outside rowing

In principle, the medal may only be awarded to someone within five years of their official retirement.

Privileges of the Keller Medal Winners

A winner of the Keller Medal receives, in effect, a lifetime accreditation to all World Rowing Championships. Each year the winners will receive an invitation to complete the appropriate accreditation request form from World Rowing and are entitled to an accreditation for access to the boat area and a ticket in the President’s Grandstand.

Thomas Keller Medal Panel members

Chair:
Dominik Keller

Members:
Jean-Christophe Rolland
Tricia Smith
Matt Smith
Martin Cross
John Boultbee
Lenka Dienstbach-Wech
AC Chair, Frida Svensson
Sarah Cook

Previous Thomas Keller Medal winners

2022 Mahe Drysdale (NZL)
2021 Olaf Tufte (NOR)
2020 There was no award in 2020
2019 Kim Brennan (AUS)
2018 Eric Murray & Hamish Bond (NZL)
2017 Katherine Grainger (GBR)
2016 Caroline & Georgina Evers-Swindell (NZL)
2015 Iztok Cop (SLO)
2014 Drew Ginn (AUS)
2013 Eskild Ebbesen (DEN)
2012 Vaclav Chalupa (CZE)
2011 Jueri Jaanson (EST)
2010 James Tomkins (AUS)
2009 Kathrin Boron (GER)
2008 Elisabeta Lipa (ROU)
2007 Mike McKay (AUS)
2006 Agostino Abbagnale (ITA)
2005 Matthew Pinsent (GBR)
2004 Nico Rienks (NED)
2003 Peter Antonie (AUS)
2002 Marnie McBean (CAN)
2001 Steve Redgrave (GBR)
1999 Silken Lauman (CAN)
1999 Kathleen Heddle (CAN)
1998 Roland Baar (GER)
1998 Kerstin Koeppen (GER)
1997 Thomas Lange (GER)
1997 Jana Sorgers (GER)
1997 Carmine Abbagnale (ITA)
1997 Giuseppe Abbagnale (ITA)
1996 Rolf Thorsen (NOR)
1996 Nikolai Pimenov (RUS)
1996 Francesco Esposito (ITA)
1994 Yuri Pimenov (RUS)
1991 Thomas Greiner (GER)
1990 Alf Hansen (NOR)