| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 7 October 1952 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Rowing |
| Club | YWCA Rowing Club Melbourne Uni Boat Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals | 1980 Moscow W4+ |
| National finals | ULVA Trophy 1975-1980 |
Sally Harding (born 7 October 1952) is an Australian former representative rower. She was a thirteen time Australian national champion, three time representative at World Rowing Championships and was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew, competing in the women's coxed four event at the 1980 Summer Olympics. [1] [2]
Harding commenced her senior rowing with the YWCA Rowing Club in Melbourne but then moved to the Melbourne University Boat Club in 1973. In 1976 and from 1978 she raced for the MUBC [3] although in 1977 Harding and her fellow Victorian sweep oarswoman Vivian Roe rowed from the Mosman Rowing Club under coach Tim Conrad in an effort to ensure their national selection. [4]
Harding first made state selection for Victoria in 1975 in the bow seat of the coxed four which contested and won the ULVA Trophy at the annual Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships. [3] She raced in further Victorian women's fours for the ULVA Trophy in 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980, stroking each of those crews to victory except in 1976. [3] In 1977 whilst rowing for Mosman in Sydney she was approved by the NSWRA for selection into the New South Wales four which she again stroked to victory. [5]
At Australian Rowing Championships in the late 1970s Harding won gold in the women's jubilee (coxed) four in 1975 and 1976, [6] gold in the elite pair in 1977, [7] took gold in a composite women's eight in 1978, [8] gold in the women's elite coxed four and women's open eight in 1979 [9] and 1980. [10]
In 1975 that year's interstate champion Victorian women's four with Harding in the bow seat was selected in toto as Australia's first ever women's crew to race at a World Rowing Championship. At that regatta in Nottingham they did well to recover from a last placing in their heat to come through the repechage and finish 2nd in the B final for an overall 8th placing at the event. [11]
In 1977 there was no elite women's coxed four event at the Australian Rowing Championships being one factor in Harding and Roe's decision to race as an elite pair under Mosman Rowing Club coach Tim Conrad. They won the national pair title as a Mosman 1 crew. Vicki Spooner rowed in Conrad's other Mosman pair to a fourth placing and selectors had also noticed the form of relative newcomer Anne Chirnside who won the silver in that event in her first year of racing at the elite level. [12] Harding, Roe, Spooner, Chirnside and coxswain Jill McLure were selected as Australia's coxed four entrants for the 1977 World Championships in Amsterdam. They made the A final and finished in fifth place. [13]
As in 1975, the 1979 Australian champion Victorian women's four with Harding at stroke was selected intact to contest the 1979 World Rowing Championships in Bled. They rowed to a fifth place. [13] That same crew stayed together into the 1980 Olympic year and coached by David Palfreyman, Harding, Anne Chirnside, Pam Westendorf, Verna Westwood and Susie Palfreyman were selected as the first Australian women's Olympian crew, to race as a coxed four at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. They again finished in fifth place. [13]
Harding married fellow 1980 Australian rowing Olympian Andrew Withers. [3]
James Guthrie Howden was an Australian representative rower who won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics and represented at the 1962 World Rowing Championships.
The Australian Rowing Championships is an annual rowing event that determines Australia's national rowing champions and facilitates selection of Australian representative crews for World Championships and the Olympic Games. It is Australia's premier regatta, with states, clubs and schools sending their best crews. The Championships commence with the National Regatta - men's, women's and lightweight events in open, under 23, under 19, under 17 and school age events. Rowers at the National Regatta race in their local club colours with composite crews permitted. The Championships conclude with the Interstate Regatta - currently eight events competed by state representative crews or scullers selected by the state rowing associations. The states compete for an overall points tally which decides the Zurich Cup.
Peter Gillon was an Australian representative rower who competed at two Olympic Games. He competed at the 1960 Rome and 1964 Tokyo Olympics in the men's coxless four.
Pamela Westendorf is an Australian former representative rower. She won twenty-three Australian national championships, was an Olympian, represented at five World Championships over a twelve-year period and won a silver medal at the 1990 World Rowing Championships.
Bruce Richardson is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Neil Lodding is an Australian former representative rower. He competed in the men's coxed pair event at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Malcolm Campbell Shaw was a New Zealand-born, Australian representative rower. He competed for Australia at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics.
John Clark is an Australian former rower. He was a six-time national champion who competed at world championships and in the men's eight event at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
David Palfreyman is an Australian former coxswain, rower and rowing coach. He was a national champion three times as a coxswain and twice as a rower and won a gold medal at the 1962 Commonwealth Games.
Susie Palfreyman is an Australian former representative rowing coxswain. She was a five time national champion, a representative at World Championships and in 1980 was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew.
Kaylynn Maree Fry is an Australian former rowing coxswain. She was a nine-time national champion, a representative at World Championships, a 1996 Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Andrew Withers is an Australian former representative rower. He was a four time national champion, represented at the 1978 and the 1979 World Rowing Championships and competed in the men's eight event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
James Lowe is an Australian former Olympic representative rower. He was a four time national champion, represented twice at World Rowing Championships and competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Timothy James Young is an Australian former Olympic representative rower. He was twice an Australian national champion, represented twice at World Championships and competed in the men's eight event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Dr. Anne Elizabeth Chirnside is an Australian former representative rower rower and a general practitioner of medicine in rural Victoria. She was an eight time Australian national champion, twice represented at World Rowing Championships and was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew, competing in the women's coxed four event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Verna Westwood is an Australian former representative rower. She was seven times an Australian national champion, represented at two World Rowing Championships and was a member of Australia's first Olympic representative women's rowing crew, competing in the women's coxed four event at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
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.
Shirley Graham is an Australian pioneer representative rower and was Australia's first international representative oarswoman. A five-time Australian national champion, accomplished as both a light-weight sculler and light-weight sweep-oarswoman, two of her Australian championship titles and both her international representative appearances were achieved in the open-weight division. She represented at the 1972 European Rowing Championships and the 1974 World Rowing Championships.
Evelyn Adams née Gardiner and later Sommer, is an Australian pioneer representative rower. With Lydia Miladinovic she rowed in Australia's first international representative women's crew. A ten-time Australian national champion, accomplished as both a sculler and sweep-oarswoman, Adams' two World Rowing Championship appearances were made as a heavyweight whilst four of her Australian championship titles were achieved in the lightweight division. She represented at the 1974 World Rowing Championships and 1978 World Rowing Championships.
Lydia Miladinovic, is an Australian pioneer representative rower. With Evelyn Adams she rowed in Australia's first international representative women's crew. A five-time Australian national champion, accomplished as both a sculler and sweep-oarswoman, Miladinovic made her sole international representative appearance for Australia at the 1974 World Rowing Championships.
