Aussie Men’s Four honoured at 2018 World Rowing Awards

Australia’s Men’s Four were last night named the 2018 Male Crew of the Year at the 2018 World Rowing Awards held in Berlin, Germany. Alexander Hill, Jack Hargreaves, Spencer Turrin and Joshua Hicks were announced the winners after a spectacular 2018, which saw them win back-to-back World Championship titles and World Rowing Cups 2 and 3.

Three of the four athletes – Hargreaves, Turrin and Hicks – came through the NSW pathway and are current NSW Institute of Sport Scholarship Holders.

It is the second major award the crew has won this month; the Men’s Four were named the 2018 Male Crew of the Year at the recent Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards. The crew last year jointly won Male Athlete of the Year at the 2017 NSWIS Awards, following their inspiring World Championship win.

The crew, coached by Men’s Head Coach Ian Wright, did not lose a race in 2018, picking up their second World Championships title at the 2018 World Rowing Championships held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria earlier this year. Prior to this crew winning the World Championships title in 2017, Australia’s Men’s Four had not won the World Championships in 26 years.

The 2018 World Champions beat off competition from the German Men’s Eight, the German Lightweight Men’s Single Scull, Jason Osbourne, and the Irish Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls of Paul and Gary O’Donovan, to take the top award.

“On behalf of everyone at Rowing Australia and the Australian rowing community, we would like to congratulate the Men’s Four on being named the Male Crew of the Year” said Rowing Australia CEO, Ian Robson.

“They were shortlisted alongside some of the best crews in the world and it is wonderful to see our Australian rowers recognised by the global governing body in this fitting way.”