Two-time world champion rower, Spencer Turrin, is a dual Olympian having had made his Olympic debut at Rio 2016 and once again representing Australia at the Tokyo Olympic Games where he became an Olympic champion with his men’s coxless four team.
Hailing from Dundog in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Spencer took up rowing at high school in Sydney and went on to compete for Sydney Rowing Club. The NSWIS scholarship holder made his Australian representative debut at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands in the men’s eight and was again selected in the men’s eight crew for the 2012 World Rowing U23 Championships where they claimed the bronze medal.
From 2013 to 2019 Spencer competed on the international circuit each consecutive year amassing five world championship medals, multiple world cup medals and a 6th place finish at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in the men’s pair.
Spencer and fellow NSWIS athlete Jack Hargreaves were members of the men’s four crew at the 2017 world championships who broke a 26-year drought since Australia last won the boat class.
Selected in the men’s eight crew for the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria, Spencer and the men’s eight finished fourth in the final and qualified their boat for the Tokyo Olympics.
A member of the Australian Olympic Team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Spencer combined with fellow NSWIS athletes Jack Hargreaves, Alexander Purnell and Australian teammate Alexander Hill, in the coxless four team who successfully broke Great Britain’s 20-year Olympic gold medal-winning streak and lead the Australian team from three consecutive silvers to their first victory since Atlanta 1996 to claim victory and the Olympic gold medal.
For their achievements at the Tokyo 2020 Games, Spencer, Jack and Alex were awarded the Powerade Male Athlete(s) of the Year Award at the 2021 NSWIS Awards.