In the final 100 metres of the PR3 mixed double scull final at the World Rowing Championships in China, para-rower Lisa Greissl drew upon the two words of advice she received from her coach, Christine MacLaren, that would define her season.

“Be brave”, she had said.

With 18-year-old crewmate Sam Stunnell beside her, the PR3 mixed double scull duo dug deep to close the gap on Great Britain and chase a place on the podium.

“I made the call to Sam that it was our time,” recalled the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder. “The boat’s speed lifted dramatically; I took a little look to the left and I could see [Great Britain] looking a bit concerned, and that was the absolute moment we had to lay everything down.”

They crossed the line for bronze – 1.27 seconds behind Ukraine, and Great Britain 2.81 seconds adrift, marking their first world championship title.

“I was extremely excited!” Greissl said. “[With] a little bit of relief that we pushed that call to the perfect timing.”

© Detlev Seyb / MyRowingPhoto.com

For Stunnell and Greissl, who collected two silver medals at the Rowing World Cups in Varese and Lucerne, their world championships medal capped a remarkable debut global season – one she struggles to describe.

“It still feels surreal that we’ve managed to achieve [three medals in our debut international year],” she said. “But when I look back at the work, I can honestly say that [our world championship medal] was a moment that we deserved as a crew – and for me individually. [I’m] extremely, extremely proud of that.”

It was a moment that she never thought would happen; the 41-year-old discovered rowing after life threw her an unexpected challenge. After recovering from surgery following a cancerous tumour on her spine, Greissl was eager to return to the sport she loved.

That desire came the Saturday morning she attempted a park run at Lake Macquarie. “I got about 500 meters in, and I just knew that my body wasn’t going to be capable of running anymore,” she said. “But as I was doing my walk, I looked to the right and on the lake, there were rowers, and I [thought] ‘That might be better suited to my physical capabilities now.’”

The next weekend, she visited the Lake Macquarie Rowing Shed to give it a go. Greissl described the experience as “Love at first sight.”

“I loved being on the water and I just couldn’t go wait to go back next weekend. I just got completely addicted,” she said.

At her next oncology check-up, Greissl mentioned she’d taken up rowing – only to discover her oncologist was also a rower.

“We stopped talking about cancer and started talking about rowing every single time [we met],” she laughed. “When he passed away, I named my boat after him – ‘The Prof’. He pretty much saved my life.”

“Because I’d never done rowing before, I didn’t know any different. It was just a new sport I was learning for the first time, not comparing myself to [how I felt when I was running] – I felt every single limitation after my surgery. [Rowing] just felt free and there was no frustration with it.”

Within a few seasons, Greissl was collecting medals in the PR3 and mixed double sculls at national level, with each race bringing her a step closer to the world stage.

In 2023 and 2024, she was selected as a reserve for the Australian Rowing Team (including the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games) – a complex position when an athlete is doing everything the team is doing, except racing.  

“Even though it was incredibly hard, all those factors of being that reserve has led me to this point,” she said.  “Each year I wondered ‘Do I go [for selection] again?’ Especially after Paris, that was a big question for me. But…I still loved my training. I feel fortunate to have had that reserve position.”

It left her with what she described as “that little bit of extra determination” – to make one more push, one more season, to finally step into the boat. “I’m really fortunate to have conversations with reserves on the team this year,” she said. “Letting them know that it’s all building to the bigger picture.”

Her message to those athletes is simple: patience. “When you first jump into a sport, you develop quite quickly,” she said. “People kept saying to me, ‘You’re only one year in a training age,’ and I was like, ‘What does that mean?’ Now I understand that [it’s your] training years and experience that get you to moments like this.”

“[You have to make] sure that the joy continues as you’re going for that end goal, because if the joy isn’t then the results won’t follow.”

That joy – and courage – are what continue to drive Greissl. She lives by the words: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”

“Even though I’m 41…you’re never too old to learn new things about yourself,” Greissl said. “That has just constantly surprised me day in and day out of training sessions.”

“That ‘courage to continue’ – I’ve proven that this year. To just be brave and know that if you’re passionate about a sport or what you do, just add that little bit of courage, then really anything can be possible.”

From finding rowing by chance at Lake Macquarie to standing on the World Championship podium with her daughters watching, Lisa Greissl’s journey has never been about the easy path – it’s been about the courage to continue.

Tags Lisa GreisslParalympics
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