World Rowing reveals the 2019 World Rowing Award finalists

For immediate release
Lausanne, 14 October 2019

The finalists for the 2019 World Rowing Awards have been decided.

Following public nomination, the FISA Executive Committee selected the finalists based on the analysis of the expert panels created for each of the awards.

Finalists for the 2019 World Rowing Awards

Thomas Keller Medal – for a rower 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.

·         Kim Brennan, Australia

·         Ekaterina Karsten, Belarus

·         James Cracknell, Great Britain

·         Pete Reed, Great Britain

·         Andrew Triggs Hodge, Great Britain

Filippi Spirit Award – for a university rower who has demonstrated the core values of rowing in his/her social, academic and sporting life and, through these values, also enabled or inspired exceptional success in other people’s lives.

·         Ria Thompson, Australia

·         Jean Maillard, France

·         Ronan Byrne, Ireland

·         Nicholas Perovich, United States

World Rowing Sustainability Award – for an organisation that has implemented an innovative project or initiative delivering a clear and positive sustainability impact.

·         Spring Creek Regeneration Project, Australia

·         2018 World Rowing Coastal Championships, Canada

·         Wintech: Clean air, water and solar power, China

·         Rowers Against Rubbish, Great Britain

·         Developing Environmental Ambassadors, Japan

World Rowing Para-rowing Crew of the Year

·         Kathryn Ross, Australia, Para PR2 Women’s Single Sculls

·         Ellen Buttrick, Giedre Rakauskaite, James Fox, Oliver Stanhope and Erin Wysocki-Jones (coxswain), Great Britain, Para PR3 Mixed Coxed Four  

·         Lauren Rowles and Laurence Whiteley, Great Britain, Para PR2 Mixed Double Sculls 

·         Birgit Skarstein, Norway, Para PR1 Women’s Single Sculls

·         Roman Polianskyi, Ukraine, Para PR1 Men’s Single Sculls

World Rowing Men’s Crew of the Year

·         Zhiyu Liu and Liang Zhang, China, Men’s Double Sculls

·         Valent Sinkovic and Martin Sinkovic, Croatia, Men’s Pair

·         Oliver Zeidler, Germany, Men’s Single Sculls

·         Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Ireland, Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls

·         Dirk Uittenbogaard, Abe Wiersma, Tone Wieten and Koen Metsmakers, The Netherlands, Men’s Quadruple Sculls

World Rowing Women’s Crew of the Year

·         Olympia Aldersey, Katrina Werry, Sarah Hawe and Lucy Stephan, Australia, Women’s Four

·         Yunxia Chen, Ling Zhang, Yang Lyu, Xiaotong Cui, China, Women’s Quadruple Sculls

·         Sanita Puspure, Ireland, Women’s Single Sculls

·         Zoe McBride and Jackie Kiddle, New Zealand, Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls

·         Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler, New Zealand, Women’s Pair

World Rowing Coach of the Year

·         Bernd Nennhaus, Germany, junior rowing crews         

·         Tom Dyson, Great Britain, Para-rowing coach    

·         Eelco Meenhorst, Netherlands, men’s sculling head coach  

·         Gary Hay, New Zealand, women’s head coach       

·         Johan Flodin, Norway, head coach

This is the second year of bringing all of the awards together into one ceremony. The ceremony will take place at the World Rowing Awards dinner on 22 November 2019 when the winners will be announced. This will be during the World Rowing Coaches Conference in London, Great Britain.