Jack Hargreaves (rower)

Last updated

Jack Hargreaves
OAM
Personal information
Born24 July 1993 (1993-07-24) (age 31)
Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
Education St Joseph's, Hunters Hill
Years active2007–current
Sport
SportRowing
ClubSydney University Boat Club
Achievements and titles
National finals King's Cup 2014-2022
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Coxless four
World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 Sarasota Coxless four
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Plovdiv Coxless four
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2022 Račice Coxless four

Jack Hargreaves OAM (born 24 July 1993) is an Australian representative rower and a world and an Olympic champion. He won consecutive world championships in the coxless four at the 2017 World Rowing Championships, then successfully defended that title at 2018 Plovdiv. He rowed in the three seat of the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics. [1] [2]

Contents

Club and state rowing

Raised in Nyngan in country New South Wales, Hargreaves was educated at St Joseph's College Hunters Hill where he took up rowing. His senior club rowing has been from the Sydney University Boat Club.

Hargreaves' first state representation for New South Wales came in 2013 when he was selected in the New South Wales youth eight to contest the Noel F Wilkinson Trophy at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships. [3] From 2014 to 2023 Hargreaves was selected in the New South Wales men's senior eight to contest the King's Cup at the Interstate Regatta. He crewed those King's Cup victories for New South Wales in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023. [4] [5]

He has contested national championship titles at the Australian Rowing Championships on a number of occasions. In SUBC colours he placed second in the open men's single scull title in 2018. [6] At the New South Wales State Championships in February 2020 he won the men's elite single sculls title and together with Jack O'Brien, won the men's elite pair. In 2021 with his national training centre crewmates he won the Australian championship title in the coxless four. [7] He won the open men's national single scull title at the 2022 Australian Rowing Championships [8] and contested that same event for a third placing in 2023. [9] At the 2023 Australian Rowing Championships he won the open coxless four national title in an all SUBC crew. [10]

International representative rowing

Hargreaves made his Australian representative debut in the men's eight which raced at the World Rowing Cup I in Sydney in 2013. Later than year he competed in the eight at the 2013 World Rowing U23 Championships in Linz, Austria. The U23 eight finished in overall tenth place. [11] In 2014 he rowed in a coxless pair at the WRC III in Lucerne before contesting the World Rowing U23 Championships in Varese in the pair with Nicholas Wheatley and taking a silver medal. [11] He continued to partner with Wheatley into 2015 and they raced at two World Rowing Cups in Europe, then at 2015 World Rowing U23 Championships in Plovdiv where they won silver before competing at the 2015 World Rowing U23 Championships in Aiguebelette and finishing in overall sixth place. [11]

In 2017 Hargreaves was selected into the Australian men's coxless four with Spencer Turrin and Alexander Hill who'd been medallists in the four at World Championships in 2014 and 2015 respectively and with newcomer Joshua Hicks. They took gold at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan and then raced in the Australian men's senior eight at the WRC III in Lucerne to a silver medal. [11] At the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota Florida rowing as a four, they won their heat and semi-final. They flew out of the start in the final, rating at 43 strokes per minute to be clear leaders at the 500m mark. They led at every mark and held off the fast-finishing Italians. Australia had not won a men's coxless four world championship title since the Oarsome Foursome's 1991 win. [12]

The world champion four stayed together into 2018 and started their 2018 international campaign with a gold medal win at the World Rowing Cup II in Linz, Austria. They repeated their 2017 tactic with a blistering rating of 43 from the start and kept up above 40 for the rest of the race. [11] In an Australian selection eight and racing as the Georgina Hope Rinehart National Training Centre, in honour of Rowing Australia patron, Gina Rinehart, Hargreaves won the 2018 Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. [13] The fourth Australian men's eight to ever do so. The following week back in the coxless four, Hargreaves won another gold at the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne. [11] At the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, in the same combination as 2017, the Australian coxless four won their heat, their semi-final and just held off the fast-finishing Italians in the final to retain their world title. Hargreaves, rowing at three won his second world championship gold. [11]

In 2019 Hargreaves was again selected in the Australian men's sweep squad for the international representative season. In an effort to qualify the men's pair for the 2020 Olympics, selectors broke up the world champion four into other boats but left Hargreaves in the four. Rowing with Tim Masters, Nicholas Purnell and Jack O'Brien, Hargreaves took the gold medal in the Australian coxless four at both the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan and at WRC III in Rotterdam. [11] Hargreaves, Hill, Purnell and O'Brien were selected to race Australia's coxless four at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria. [14] The four were looking for a top eight finish at the 2019 World Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. [15] They won their heat and semi-final, thereby qualifying the boat for Tokyo 2020. [11] Unexpectedly as race favourites, they finished last in the final for an overall world sixth place. [11]

In Tokyo the coxless four won their heat and progressed straight to the A final where they held a lead from the first 500m, and were being challenged by the British four who lost their steering and control in the final 500m. With Hargreaves' technique and style from the three seat the Australians kept their composure and held off the Romanians in a tight finish, taking the gold in an Olympic best time. [11]

In March 2022 Hargreaves, Turrin, Purnell and Jack O'Brien were selected as the men's four in the Australian squad for the 2022 international season and the 2022 World Rowing Championships. [16] They took gold at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan in June, won the Stewards Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in July and a week later finished second at the WRC III in Lucerne. [17] At the 2022 World Rowing Championships at Racize, he rowed in the Australian coxless four to a silver medal. [11]

With Alex Hill's renewed intention, in March 2023 selectors picked Hargreaves, Turrin, Hill and Purnell as the Australian coxless four for the 2023 international season and world championship preparation. [18] At the Rowing World Cup II in Varese, Italy they raced as Australia's M4- entrant. They made the A final and won the silver medal behind the Great Britain four. [11] At 2023's RWC III in Lucerne, that unchanged four again raced the M4-. They won their heat and semi but again were beaten into second place by Great Britain in the A final. [11] That crew was selected intact as Australia's coxless four for the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade Serbia. They placed second in their heat. [11] They placed 3rd in the A/B semi-final at which point they qualified an Australian M4- boat for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the A final the Australian four finished fifth, giving them a fifth place world ranking from the regatta. [11]

Accolades

In the 2022 Australia Day Honours Hargreaves was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. [19]

Related Research Articles

Dominic Grimm is an Australian national champion rower who in 2010 won a world championship in the coxed pair.

Joshua Dunkley-Smith is an Australian former representative rower. He was a national champion, a dual Olympian, two-time silver Olympic medal winner, and won medals at five World Rowing Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Purnell</span> Australian rower

Nicholas Purnell is an Australian representative and dual Olympian rower. He is a national champion, who has competed at seven world championships and in the men's eight event at the 2012 London and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Thomas Gibson is an Australian lightweight rower. He is a twelve-time Australian national champion, a world champion and a dual Olympian.

Spencer Alf Turrin is an Australian representative rower. He is a national champion, twice world champion, a dual Olympian and an Olympic champion. He competed and won medals in the Australian senior men's coxless four at every World Rowing Championship from 2013 to 2018, culminating in consecutive world championship gold at Sarasota 2017 and 2018 Plovdiv. He rowed in the two seat of the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Alexander Hill is an Australian representative rower. He is an Australian national champion, a dual Olympian, an Olympic gold and silver medallist and was the 2017 and 2018 world champion in the coxless four. He stroked the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lucy Stephan is an Australian rower. She is a multiple Australian champion, a 2016 and 2020 Olympian and a world champion who won a 2017 world title in the coxless four and regained that same world title in 2019. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics she set the pace from the bow seat of the Australian coxless four to a gold medal victory. She won the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta in the Australian women's eight.

Joshua Hicks is an Australian representative rower. He is an Olympian and a two-time world champion who won gold in the coxless four at the 2017 World Rowing Championships and defended that title at Plovdiv in 2018. He competed in the Australian men's coxless pair at Tokyo 2021.

Katrina Werry is an Olympian and Australian national and two-time world champion rower. At the 2017 World Rowing Championships, she became world champion in the women's coxless four with Lucy Stephan, Sarah Hawe, and Molly Goodman. She regained that coxless four world championship title in 2019. She won the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta in the Australian women's eight. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Rosemary Popa is an Australian national champion rower, Olympic gold medalist, and former rower for the University of California, Berkeley. A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, she has represented both countries at World Rowing Championships, twice winning medals for Australia. She won the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta in the Australian women's eight. In 2021, she was selected to represent Australia in the coxless four event at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, where she won the gold medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fergus Pragnell</span> Australian former rower (born 1985)

Fergus Pragnell is an Australian former rower. He is a seven-time Australian King's Cup winner, an U23 World Champion and a medallist at senior World Championships.

Alexander (Steve) Purnell is an Australian rower. He is an Olympic and national champion who has represented at underage and senior world championships. In 2018 in an Australian eight, he won the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. He rowed in the bow seat of the Australian men's coxless four to a gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics.

Angus Moore is an Australian former representative rower. He was a three-time King's Cup winner, medalled at underage and senior world rowing championships and in 2018 won the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in an Australian eight.

Angus Widdicombe is an Australian rower. He is an Olympian, an Australian national champion, has represented at underage and senior world championships, winning consecutive silver medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships. He stroked the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Timothy Masters is an Australian rower. He is a national champion, a representative and silver medallist at World Championships, and a three-time silver medallist at World Rowing U23 Championships. He rowed in the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Caleb Antill is an Australian representative rower. He is an Olympian, a multiple Australian national champion, was a 2016 U23 world champion and has represented at World Rowing Championships, winning medals in 2018 and 2022. He raced in the Australian men's quad scull at Tokyo 2021 to a bronze medal.

Joseph "Jack" O'Brien is an Australian representative rower. He is an Australian national champion, has represented and won a silver medal at senior world championships and has won several gold medals at World Rowing Cups. He rowed in the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Bronwyn Cox is an Australian representative, national champion and Olympic rower. She was a silver medallist at the 2019 World Championships and won gold and silver medals at Rowing World Cups in the 2019 international representative season. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Sam Hardy is an Australian representative rower. He is a national champion, a national representative, an Olympian and won a bronze medals at the 2019 and 2022 World Rowing Championships.

Nicholas Wheatley is an Australian former representative rower. He was an Australian national champion, represented at the 2015 World Rowing Championships and was twice a medallist at U23 World Rowing Championships.

References

  1. 2021 Australian Olympic Crews
  2. "Firmed Australian 2021 crews". Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  3. "2013 Interstate Regatta". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  4. "2017 Interstate Regatta". Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  5. "2019 Interstate Regatta Results". Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  6. "Cerise & Blue", SJC OBU magazine July 2018
  7. 2021 Australian Championships
  8. 2022 Australian Rowing Championships results
  9. 2023 Australian Rowing Championships results
  10. 2023 Australian Championships
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Hargreaves at World Rowing
  12. 2017 World Championships
  13. "2018 Australian Henley victories". Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  14. 2019 WRC entry list
  15. "2019 World Championship selections". Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  16. "Australian Rowing Team Named for 2022 World Rowing Cups". 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  17. Henley 2022
  18. 2023 Australian Squad announcement
  19. "Australia Day Honours List" (PDF). The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.