 The 1990 Oarsome Foursome | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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The Oarsome Foursome is the nickname for an Australian men's rowing coxless four crew who competed with a clear lineage between 1990 and 2012, winning two Olympic gold medals and one silver medal, two world championships as a coxless four, and additional world championship titles in coxed boats. Members of the Oarsome Foursome when split into pairs placed first and second in the 1998 World Rowing Championships and won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
They first achieved success seated as Nick Green (bow), Mike McKay (two), Samuel Patten (three) and James Tomkins stroke, when they won gold at the 1990 World Rowing Championships in Lake Barrington. [1] They were coached by Noel Donaldson a former Victorian and national representative coxswain who had taken to coaching after competitive retirement. Donaldson encouraged periods of relaxation within the crew's training regime and it's been reported that the rowers spent the morning of that final indulging in a relaxed round of golf. [2]
Patten was replaced by Andrew Cooper in 1991, and another World Championship title was won in Vienna 1991. [3] Around this time they were accused by former Norwegian coach Thor Nilsson of not being serious enough about their training. [2] In lead-up races before the 1992 Olympics the crew's dominance was challenged by fours from the Netherlands and the USA but after a seat swap by Donaldson between Cooper and Green and the adoption of the new short "cleaver" blades they won gold at Barcelona 1992. [4] The win led them to become household names, and they were crowned Moomba Monarchs (popularly called Kings of Moomba) in 1993, [5] and appeared in television advertisements for the Australian canned fruit brand Goulburn Valley. [6]
Andrew Cooper retired in 1995, and Drew Ginn took the bow seat. In that combination, they won a second Olympic gold medal at Atlanta 1996, cementing their popularity and fame and elevating the profile of rowing in Australia. [7] Following a break in 1997, they returned to world-class rowing in 1998, winning gold at the 1998 Cologne World Championships as a coxed four steered by Brett Hayman. At those same championships, McKay and Ginn took silver as a coxless pair and Green; Tomkins and Hayman were also crowned World Champions in a coxed pair. [8]
The Australian coxless four at Sydney 2000 contained no members of any previous Oarsome Foursome, although Tomkins won a bronze medal with Matthew Long in a coxless pair. Again at Athens 2004, the coxless four contained all-new faces, while Tomkins and Ginn took gold in a pair and Mike McKay rowed in the 8+. At Beijing in 2008, Tomkins rowed in the six-seat of the Australian 8+, while Ginn won gold in a coxless pair with Duncan Free.
In 2004, they released a DVD titled Oarsome Foursome Fitness, a general fitness training guide not necessarily aimed at rowers (although there is a section on perfecting your rowing stroke).
At London 2012, Drew Ginn provided a single link to the previous Foursomes [9] when he was selected in the two-seat of Australia's coxless four with James Chapman, Josh Dunkley-Smith and Will Lockwood. [10] [11] That combination won the Olympic silver medal.
Drew Cameron Ginn OAM is an Australian five-time world champion rower, a four time Olympian and triple Olympic gold medallist. From 1995 to 1998 he was a member of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome.
James Bruce Tomkins is an Australian rower, seven-time World Champion and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is Australia's most awarded oarsman, having made appearances at six Olympic games ; eleven World Championships ; four Rowing World Cups and eighteen state representative King's Cup appearances – the Australian blue riband men's VIII event,. Tomkins is one of only five Australian athletes and four rowers worldwide to compete at six Olympics. From 1990 to 1998 he was the stroke of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome.
The Mercantile Rowing Club is based in Melbourne, Australia on the Yarra River. It was founded in 1880 and has occupied its current site since 1885. More than 40 Mercantillians have represented Australia at Olympic Games.
Nicholas David Green OAM is an Australian former rower, a dual Olympic gold medallist and four time World Champion. From 1990 to 1998 he was a member of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome. Now a sports administrator, since 2014 he has been Chief Executive of Cycling Australia.
Michael Scott McKay, OAM, known as Mike McKay, is an Australian rower, a four-time world champion, a four-time Olympic medallist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist. From 1990 to 1998 he was a member of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome.
Geoffrey Peter Stewart is an Australian former rower – a national champion, an U23 world champion and a three-time Olympian.
James Alexander Stewart is an Australian former rower - a national champion, an U23 world champion and a three-time Olympian.
Kate Elizabeth Slatter OAM is an Australian former rower, a sixteen time national champion, world champion and Olympic champion from Adelaide, South Australia. She is a three-time Olympian who in 1996 won Australia's first Olympic gold in women's rowing.
Megan Leanne Marcks, OAM is an Australian former national, Olympic and world champion rower. She is an Olympic and World Champion in the coxless pair who represented Australia at the Olympics in 1992 and 1996.
Andrew Dollman Cooper is a former Australian Olympic Champion and World Champion rower. He is a national champion, dual Olympian and two-time World Champion who achieved success as a member of Australia's "Oarsome Foursome" in 1991 and 1992.
Boden Joseph "Bo" Hanson is a four time Australian Olympian rowing, three time Olympic medalist, specialist coaching consultant, corporate trainer and presenter. Hansen won his three bronze medals at the Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) Olympic games His professional career includes founding high-performance consultancy Athlete Assessments in 2007, and Team8 which presents to corporate audiences.
Matthew Long is an Australian former Olympian rower. He was an Australian national champion, a representative at World Championships and won a bronze medal in the coxless pair at Sydney 2000
Nicholas Weston Porzig is a South African-born, former Australian representative former rower. He is a dual Olympian and an Olympic silver medalist.
Brett Hayman is an Australian three time world champion, a dual Olympian and an Australian national champion rowing coxswain. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics steering the Australian men's eight. He coxed Australian crews at every premier world rowing regatta from 1993 to 2000.
Samuel Patten is a former Australian World Champion rower and Olympic medallist. His professional career has been as an orthopaedic surgeon specialising in hip and knee surgery and based in Melbourne. From 1990 to 1991 he was a member of Australia's prominent world class crew – the coxless four known as the Oarsome Foursome.
Benjamin Philip Dodwell is an Australian former rower - a nine-time national champion, a triple Olympian, Olympic medal winner and representative at World Rowing Championships.
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.
William Lockwood is an Australian former representative rower. A national champion, dual Olympian and two time Olympic silver medal winner, Lockwood represented at the international level for seven consecutive years.
Sam Conrad is an Australian former representative rower. He was a national champion, a world champion and an Olympian like his father and grandfather.
Noel Donaldson is an Australian former rowing coxswain and has since 1990 been a prominent and successful world-class rowing coach of Victorian state, Australian national and later, New Zealand national crews.
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