![]() Mackintosh in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Wellington, New Zealand [1] | 30 January 1997||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
Country | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Rowing | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Tom Mackintosh (born 30 January 1997) is a New Zealand rower. [2] He is currently a single sculler, and is the reigning world bronze medal holder, a feat achieved in his debut season in the class. [3] Mackintosh is also a reigning olympic champion, but in the sweep discipline, having won a gold medal in the eight in his Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. [4] Off the water, Mackintosh is also a public speaker and entrepreneur. [5]
Mackintosh was born in 1997 in Wellington, New Zealand. His rowing career did not start until moving to Hastings, where he attended Lindisfarne College and joined the Hawke's Bay Rowing Club. He was motivated to start rowing by listening to his father's stories of representing New Zealand as a rower.
Mackintosh began tertiary education at the University of Canterbury, where he achieved a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Academically, he was a recipient of the Prime Minister's Scholarship in 2016 and 2018. He was also awarded the University of Canterbury Sportsman of the Year in 2018, and alongside fellow oarsmen George Howat, was a member of the University of Canterbury Sports Team of the Year in 2017. This study was balanced with Mackintosh's rowing career.
Subsequently, Mackintosh attended Massey University, where he achieved a Masters of Management extramurally, also while balancing his rowing career. During this time he was named Massey Distance sportsperson of the year for 2020 & 2021. Mackintosh was again a recipient of the Prime Minister's Scholarship in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Mackintosh's first World Championships appearance was the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships in Hamburg, where he achieved a silver medal in the coxed four. [6] After a break to focus on his university studies, he was selected in the 2016 New Zealand Under 21 Team that competed in a two-regatta series against Australia. He attended the 2017 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in the eight, placing seventh.
Mackintosh returned to the four in 2018, and enjoyed success in the boat across the following three years. At the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, he achieved a bronze medal as a member of the four, [6] the first of several medals Mackintosh would achieve in a crew with Matt Macdonald. The young under 23 four was sent to the open 2018 World Rowing Championships for experience, placing 15th. Returning to the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, Mackintosh's crew bettered their previous performance by achieving a silver medal. Mackintosh was again selected in the four for the open World Rowing Championships in 2019, but this time in an open class boat, not the under 23s. The boat placed 14th.
Mackintosh then moved from the four to the eight. The class is not commonly competed in by New Zealand who, prior to the gold Mackintosh achieved at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, had not medalled in the event for 49 years. The crew's debut outing as an eight was the 2021 World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, where they surprised the field to place first in their heat and first in the final. The team then went on to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021 due to Covid19). Although only placing second in their heat behind a fast Dutch crew, the crew placed first in the repechage showing good speed in choppy tailwind conditions. In the final, having rediscovered their rhythm famously termed "Big Boy Rhythm" by the team, the crew rowed through the field after a strong second 500m, and decisive third 500m to win gold. Mackintosh sat in the bow seat of the eight, behind Hamish Bond who was winning his third Olympic Gold following wins in the men's pair at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
Mackintosh then took a further break from rowing to focus on his studies again, but returned to the world stage in 2022, this time in the pair with fellow gold medalist Matt Macdonald. The duo had a strong start to their European tour, placing first in the 2022 World Rowing Cup II regatta. Next, the pair attending the Henley Royal Regatta, setting up a show down with the British men's pair, who had won the 2022 World Cup I Regatta. Both crews progressed to the final without major incident. After a poor start, caused by some steering issues and the fast starting British pair, Mackintosh and MacDonald stayed within touching distance before making a strong push from a length down to 3/4rds of a length up just before the Stewards Enclosure, holding on to win by the same margin. This was their crowning achievement in the season, becoming recipients of the Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup. The pair went on to place 4th in the 2022 World Rowing Cup III regatta, ultimately placing 6th at the 2022 World Rowing Championships.
In 2023, Mackintosh moved away from his success in the sweeps and returned to the sculling classes. This was a long hiatus, having not formally competed in the class since placing third in the under 17 single scull at the Maadi Cup as a schoolboy. His first competition in the class was the 2023 World Rowing Cup III, where he surprised a competitive field by placing first in his heat, with three times world champion Oliver Zeidler in second. Zeidler had his revenge in the semi final, where the order between him and Mackintosh was reversed. Mackintosh finished third in the final, behind Sverri Neilsen of Denmark in second and Zeidler in first.
At the 2023 World Rowing Champions in Belgrade, Serbia, the men's single scull field was the largest to date with 48 competitors. In the heat, Mackintosh came up against fellow new comer Simon Van Dorp from the Netherlands, with both scullers setting a strong pace with the quickest times of the day. Mackintosh progressed through the quarter final and semi final finishing 3rd in both races. In the final, Mackintosh placed third, earning a bronze medal behind Van Dorp in Silver and Zeidler in Gold. Zeidler the three times world champion, described the race on Instagram as "one of the fastest, toughest and most emotional of my career".
In 2021, Mackintosh was awarded Male Rower of the Year at the New Zealand Rowing Championships. He was also named the 2021 Hawkes Bay Senior Sportsperson of the year and has been a finalist in this category in 2022 & 2023.
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.
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.
Michael Brake is a New Zealand rower. He is a dual Olympian and won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.
Thomas James Murray is a New Zealand rower. Born and raised in Blenheim, he is a member of New Zealand's national rowing team and has competed in the eight and in the coxless pair. In the smaller boat, he has medalled in two World Rowing Championships; bronze in 2017 and silver in 2019. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he competed with the eight and won gold in the same boat class at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Murray has won four consecutive premier national titles in the coxless pair. He has been world champion in age group rowing events three times.
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.
Jack Hargreaves 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.
Brooke Francis is a New Zealand rower. She has twice won the world championship in the double scull alongside Olivia Loe, is the incumbent world champion, and won a silver medal in this class at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with rowing partner Hannah Osborne, followed by a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Lucy Spoors. As of 2021, she has won ten premier national rowing championships.
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.
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 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.
Oliver Zeidler is a German rower and former swimmer. He is the reigning Olympic and world champion in the men's single sculls, which he first won at the 2019 World Rowing Championships and defended in 2022 and 2023. He is the 2023 World Games champion in indoor rowing in the open men's 2000 m class.
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.
Campbell Watts is an Australian rower. He is an Australian national champion who participated at the 2018 World Rowing Championships, where he won a silver medal.
Annabelle McIntyre is an Australian national representative rower. She is an Olympic champion, a multiple Australian national champion and won medals at the 2019 World Rowing Championships and 2018 World Championships. She was selected as a 2021 Tokyo Olympian and doubled-up, racing both the Australian coxless pair and the coxless four. In the four she stroked the Australian crew to a gold medal victory.
Thomas Ford is a British national representative rower. He is an Olympic and two-time world champion in the men's eight event.
James Rudkin is a British national representative rower. He is an Olympic and two-time world champion.
Sholto Carnegie is a British representative rower. He is an Olympic and a two-time world champion in the Great Britain men's eight.
Sean Murphy is an Australian representative lightweight rower. He is a 2018 Australian national champion; won bronze medals at senior and U/23 World Championships as a lightweight sculler; and in 2019 won two gold medals in lightweight sculling at Rowing World Cups in the international representative season.
The men's single sculls event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place from 23 to 30 July 2021 at the Sea Forest Waterway. 32 rowers from 32 nations competed.
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.