Victoria-based Rowing Canada, normally a steady supplier of medals for Canada in the Summer Olympic Games, came back with just one from Rio this year.
After a house clearing, in which head coach Martin McElroy left the Canadian men’s heavyweight team and head coach John Keogh departed the women’s heavyweight program in September, the new national team coaches for 2017 were announced Saturday. They are Dave Thompson, Terry Paul, Michelle Darvill and John Wetzstein.
Thompson makes the move from Down Under after coaching the New Zealand women’s pair to the Olympic silver medal in Rio. He has coached Kiwi crews to silver medals at the past three world championships.
“Having coached against [Canada], there is no question to Canada’s history as a powerhouse in big-boat racing,” Thompson said in a statement.
“I am determined to continue Canada’s tradition of success and see our athletes on the podium. I am excited to begin work.”
That starts with the first full post-Rio national team camp beginning Jan. 3 on Elk Lake and at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence.
The prime event next year is the 2017 world rowing championships, from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1, in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida.
Paul, coxswain of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics gold-medallist Canadian men’s eight, continues his long-term association with Canadian coaching. He has previously guided crews to medals at the U-23 and senior team levels, including the Canadian men’s pair of Victoria’s David Calder and Brentwood College-graduate Scott Frandsen to silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Darvill moves up to help guide the senior team rowers after medal success with Canadian U-23 crews. Wetzstein will mentor Canada’s Paralympics rowing program.
Rowing Canada said it will name its new high performance director early next year, at which time additional national team coaching hires may be made.
Rowing has accumulated the second-highest number of gold medals for Canada in the Summer Olympics with nine, trailing only track and field’s 14. Rowing has also won the third-most total medals for Canada in the Summer Olympics with 41, behind only track and field’s 60 and swimming’s 49. Because of its medal success, rowing is the most heavily funded Canadian summer sport, having received $17 million from the federal Own the Podium program in the Olympic quadrennial from London 2012 to Rio 2016.
That, however, could be slashed in the quadrennial leading to Tokyo 2020 in light of what transpired in Rio this past summer. Women’s lightweight doubles pullers Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee, both of Victoria, accounted for Canada’s lone 2016 Olympic rowing medal, leaving the Canadian program in full rebuild mode.
