Oliver Welch

Oli Welch

Personal information
Born	(2003-07-20) 20 July 2003 (age 22) [1]
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Medal record Men's rowing Representing   New Zealand World Championships 2025 Shanghai Coxless pair

Oli Welch (born 20 July 2003) is a New Zealand rower. He won the gold medal at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in the men's coxless pair.

Career

Welch began rowing whilst he was studying at Auckland Grammar School, later joining West End Rowing Club in Auckland and in 2022, he joined Avon Rowing Club in Christchurch after starting a Financial Engineering undergraduate degree at the University of Canterbury. ^[2]

In 2024, Welch and Josh Vodanovich won the gold medal in the men’s pair at the 2024 World Rowing U23 Championships in St. Catharines, Canada. ^[3] Welch won four titles at the New Zealand Rowing Championships in February 2025, winning the under-22 coxless pair event with Cody Johnson, as well all helping Avon Rowing Club win the pairs, fours, and eights. ^[4]

Later that year, he began rowing alongside Benjamin Taylor, a fellow member of Avon Rowing Club. They won their first regatta as a pair at the Varese World Cup event in June, 2025, claiming a notable victory over the Croatian 2024 Olympic Games gold medallists Valent and Martin Sinkovic. ^{[5] [6]} They then had a second place finish in the World Cup Lucerne event two weeks later. ^[7] In September 2025, Welch made his debut at the senior World Championships, winning gold with Taylor in Shanghai, China, in the men's coxless pair. ^[8] It was the first gold medal for New Zealand in the event since the retirements of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray the decade before. ^[9]

References

1. "Oli Welch". World Rowing. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
2. "Oli Welch". Rowingnz.kiwi. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
3. "Double gold raises the roof at St Catharines". Rowing Hub. 23 August 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
4. Coughlan, Sam (28 February 2025). "Oar-some effort sees Welch claim quartet of gold medals". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
5. Anderson, Ian (15 June 2025). "NZ rookie rowers Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch stun legendary Olympic pair at World Cup". Stuff. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
6. "Rowing gold for men's pair of Taylor, Welch". NZ Sports Wire. 27 September 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
7. "NZ Men's Pair into World Champs final". NZ Sports Wire. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
8. "Rowing World Championships: Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch win men's pair". NZ Herald. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
9. Anderson, Ian (25 September 2025). "Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch win men's pair gold at world rowing championships in Shanghai". Stuff. Retrieved 28 September 2025.