James Rook (rowing)

Last updated

James Rook
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1997-11-18) 18 November 1997 (age 25)
EducationScotch College (vic)
Sport
CountryAustralia
Sport Rowing
Event(s)Coxed pair, Eight
ClubMercantile Rowing Club
Achievements and titles
National finalsKing's Cup 2017-19, 2022
Queen's Cup 2021
Olympic finals Tokyo 2020 W8+
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2017 Sarasota Coxed pair
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2019 Ottensheim Eight
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2018 Plovdiv Eight

James Rook (born 18 November 1997 in Victoria) is an Australian national representative rowing coxswain. He is an Olympian and a medallist at the 2017, 2018 and 2019 World Rowing Championships and a winner of the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta. He is notable for becoming in 2018 the first Australian male coxswain to steer a representative Australian female crew under the FISA gender-neutral coxswain selection policy change of 2017. He coxed the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. [1] [2]

Contents

Club and state rowing

Rook was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne where he took up rowing. His senior coxing was from Mercantile Rowing Club.

He was first selected to represent Victoria in the men's youth eight who contested the Noel F Wilkinson Trophy in the Interstate Regatta within the 2016 Australian Rowing Championships. [3] In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 he coxed the Victorian senior men's eight contesting the King's Cup at the Australian Interstate Regatta. [4] [5] In 2021 he coxed (and co-coached) the Victorian women's eight to a Queen's Cup victory at the Australian Interstate Regatta. [6]

In 2021 in the stern of a National Training Centre eight, he won the open women's eight title at the Australian Championships. [7]

International representative rowing

Rook was first selected to represent Australia in the senior men's squad of 2017 who raced at the World Rowing Cups II and III in Europe before contesting the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota USA. At those World Championships, Rook coxed the Australian coxed pair of Angus Widdicombe and Darcy Wruck to a silver medal. [8] He also steered the Australian men's senior eight in Sarasota to an overall eighth placing. [8]

In 2017 FISA announced a number of new rule changes, including voting for coxswains to become gender neutral. In 2018 Australian selection processes embraced this new policy resulting in Rook being selected to steer the Australian women's senior eight for the World Rowing Cup II of 2018 and Kendall Brodie of Sydney Rowing Club being selected to cox the Australian men's senior eight. [9] The women's eight with Rook in the stern started their 2018 international campaign with a bronze medal win at the World Rowing Cup II in Linz, Austria. [8] In their second competitive outing of the 2018 international season in a national selection eight and racing as the Georgina Hope Rinehart National Training Centre, after Rowing Australia patron, Gina Rinehart, Rook steered the 2018 Australian women's eight to a Remenham Challenge Cup victory at the Henley Royal Regatta. [10] At the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv the Australian women's eight with Rook at cox, won their heat and placed third in the final winning the bronze medal. [8]

In 2019 Rook was again picked in Australian senior sweep squad for the international season. He coxed the Australian women's eight to their gold medal win at Rowing World Cup II in Poznan and to a silver medal at WRC III in Rotterdam. [8] Rook was then selected to cox Australia's women's eight at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria. [11] The eight were looking for a top five finish at the 2019 World Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. [12] They placed second in their heat, came through the repechage and led in the final from the start and at all three 500m marks till they were overrun by New Zealand by 2.7secs. The Australian eight took the silver medal and qualified for Tokyo 2020. [8]

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics the Australian women's eight were placed third in their heat, fourth in the repechage and fifth in the Olympic A final. [8] Had they managed to maintain their time of 5:57:15 that they achieved in their repechage they would have beaten the winners, Canada, by nearly two seconds and won the gold medal. [13]

Related Research Articles

Olympia Aldersey is an Australian rower. She is an Australian national champion, a dual Olympian and was a 2019 World Champion in the coxless four. In 2014 she set a world's fastest ever time (6:37.31) in a women's double scull over 2000m, a record which has stood since. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Molly Goodman is an Australian rower. She is a national champion, a dual Olympian and a world champion winning the 2017 world title in a coxless four. She stroked the Australian eight to victory in the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta. She stroked the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 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.

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.

Sarah Hawe is an Australian rower. She is an Australian national champion, an Olympian and a two-time world champion winning the 2019 and 2017 world titles in the coxless four. She was a winner of 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.

Marc Douez is an Australian former national champion and world champion rowing coxswain.

Kendall Brodie is an Australian national champion and national representative rowing coxswain who won medals at the 2018 and 2022 World Championships. In 2018 she became the first Australian female coxswain to steer a representative Australian male crew under the FISA gender-neutral coxswain selection policy initiated in 2017.

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.

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.

Marty Rabjohns is an Australian former rowing coxswain. He was a four-time Australian national champion and a 2008 Olympian.

Georgina Rowe is an Australian national representative rower, an Olympian and medallist at the 2018 and 2019 World Rowing Championships. She was a 2016 indoor rowing Australian champion and a winner of the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Ciona Wilson is an Australian national representative rower from Tasmania. She is an Australian national champion, was a medallist at the 2018 World Rowing Championships and won the Remenham Challenge Cup at the 2018 Henley Royal Regatta.

Jacinta Edmunds is an Australian former representative rower. She was twice an Australian champion and a medallist at the 2018 and 2019 World Rowing Championships.

Edward V "Terry" O'Hanlon is an Australian former rowing coxswain. He was seven times an Australian national champion who coxed Australian representative crews at two World Rowing Championships.

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.

Rowena Meredith is an Australian representative rower. She is an Olympic medallist, a multiple Australian national champion at both U23 and senior levels, was twice a medallist at underage world championships and has won four medals at World Rowing Cups. She competed in the Australian women's quad scull at Tokyo 2021 winning a bronze medal.

Stuart Sim is an Australian representative rowing coxswain. He is an Olympian and a national champion, has represented at world championships and was a world junior champion in 2011. He rowed in the Australian men's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Harriet Hudson is an Australian national representative rower. She is a three-time national senior champion, twice won silver medals at World U23 Championships and is an Olympian. She competed in the Australian women's quad scull at Tokyo 2021 winning a bronze medal.

Giorgia Patten is an Australian representative, Olympic and national champion rower. She is a national U23 and senior champion and has placed second at World U23 Championships. She rowed in the Australian women's eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

References

  1. 2021 Aust Olympic Crews
  2. "Firmed Aust 2021 crews". Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  3. "2016 Austn C'ships". Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  4. "2017 Aust C'ships at Guerin Foster". Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  5. "2019 Interstate Regatta Results". Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  6. "2021 Interstate Regatta Results". Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  7. 2021 Austn C'ships
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rook at World Rowing
  9. Gender Neutral coxing selections
  10. "2018 Australian Henley victories". Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  11. 2019 WRC entry list
  12. "2019 World C'ship selections". Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  13. "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 8 April 2022.