James Edward Cracknell, (born 5 May 1972) is a British athlete,
rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically at ...
champion and double
Olympic gold medalist. Cracknell was appointed
OBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
for "services to sport" in the
2005 New Year Honours
New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; and ...
List.
Biography
Cracknell began rowing whilst attending the independent
Kingston Grammar School and rowed at the
Junior World Championships in 1989 and 1990, winning a gold medal in 1990. He graduated from the
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...
as a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
(BSc) in
Human Geography
Human geography or anthropogeography is the branch of geography that studies spatial relationships between human communities, cultures, economies, and their interactions with the environment. It analyzes spatial interdependencies between social i ...
in 1993, followed by a PGCE at the
Institute of Education
IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...
and a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast ...
(MSc) from
Brunel University
Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
in 1999. Moving into the senior squad, Cracknell made numerous appearances in the
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non- Olympic years is the highlight of ...
; however, he did not win any medals prior to the
1996 Summer Olympics. He qualified in the double scull for the 1996 Games, but fell ill with
tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, a ...
and was unable to race. In 1997, he won a seat in the men's coxless fours, with
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...
,
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
and
Tim Foster. With this crew, he won the
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non- Olympic years is the highlight of ...
in 1997, 1998 and 1999 (with
Ed Coode replacing the injured Foster), and finally the gold medal at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
. In August 2000, the month prior to winning gold in Sydney, he took part in a 3-part BBC documentary entitled
Gold Fever. This followed the coxless four team in the years leading up to the Olympics, including video diaries recording the highs and lows in their quest for gold.
With Redgrave then having retired, Cracknell swapped from rowing on strokeside to bowside to join Pinsent in the coxless pairs. The pair won the World Championships in 2001, when they also won the coxed pairs, and 2002. However, in 2003 a disappointing season was capped by a failure to win the World Championships, and Pinsent and Cracknell were shifted into the coxless four, with
Steve Williams and
Alex Partridge. Ed Coode replaced the injured Partridge in time for the
2004 Summer Olympics and this crew won the gold medal in Athens, beating world champions Canada by 0.08s.
He came second in the pairs division of the 2005–2006
Atlantic Rowing Race in "''Spirit of EDF Energy''", partnered by
Ben Fogle
Benjamin Myer Fogle, (born 3 November 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channels Channel 5, BBC and ITV.
Early life
Fogle is the son of English actress Juli ...
. Although they took first place in the line honours of the pairs event (overall, they were third to finish the race behind the two men's fours), the use of ballast water during the race resulted in the pair being moved to second position of the pairs event in accordance with the race rules. The event helped raise money for
Children in Need.
They made landfall in
Antigua
Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Ba ...
at 07.13
GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours and 8 minutes. In February 2006, he announced his decision to retire from competitive rowing. Shortly after, ''
Through Hell and High Water
''Through Hell and High Water'' is a BBC television programme produced by Twofour that aired in the United Kingdom on 1317 February 2006. Five half-hour morning programmes (9:3010am) on BBC1 followed James Cracknell (Olympic rower) and Ben Fog ...
'', a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
/
Twofour
Twofour is a British television and digital media group founded in 1989 by Charles Wace, a former BBC news producer, and Christopher Slade, a BBC presenter. With its headquarters in Plymouth, Twofour has offices in London and Los Angeles.
In ...
television programme of Cracknell and Fogle's experience of the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
race, was aired. The pair wrote a book called ''The Crossing: Conquering the Atlantic in the World's Toughest Rowing Race'', about their trip.
On 4 March 2006, Cracknell's home was burgled: his Olympic gold medals were stolen, together with his wedding ring and a computer containing 20,000 words of a new book and family photographs. The gold medals were subsequently recovered by a neighbour's dog where the thief had discarded them. The thief, Mark Murphy, 30, was caught and jailed.
He ran the
London Marathon
The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...
on 23 April 2006, in a time of 3 hours, finishing over an hour ahead of his rowing teammate Matthew Pinsent.
In January 2008 Cracknell set up Threshold Sports with Julian Mack and Charlie Beauchamp.
In December 2008 he set off yet again with former teammate from the Atlantic Row, Ben Fogle, and Dr Ed Coats (the winner of a nationwide search), this time to take part in the inaugural Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race. The team traversed the 473.6 miles suffering frostbite, infected blisters, dramatic weight-loss, pneumonia and exhaustion and came second only to a pair of
Norwegians
Norwegians ( no, nordmenn) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the ...
(over 20 hours). The BBC aired a 5 x 1-hour, prime-time Sunday night series of the adventure, ''
On Thin Ice'' (Twofour), in June–July 2009. The series was accompanied by a self-penned book of the race, ''Race to the Pole'' (MacMillan).
In July 2008 Cracknell competed in the European Triathlon Championships for GBR for his age group and in November 2009 he took part in the
New York Marathon
The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...
. In April 2009, James completed the 125-mile non-stop
Devizes to Westminster Canoe Marathon in a two-man racing K2 kayak with canoe partner Bernie Shosbree.

In August 2009 Cracknell attempted to break the non-stop Land's End to John O'Groats mixed tandem world record along with Olympic gold medallist
Rebecca Romero. The pair got just past Johnstone Bridge in Scotland before being forced to stop due to problems with Romero's knees. They were on course to break the record by over three hours. The attempt was to launch the 2010 Ride Across Britain that Cracknell's company organised
In April 2010 Cracknell became the highest placed Briton ever in the 25-year history of the
Marathon des Sables, finishing 12th. His exploits were filmed for a Discovery Channel documentary ''The Toughest Race on Earth'' to be aired in October 2010. This highest ever placing was beaten in 2013 by another Briton, Danny Kendall who finished 10th.
Six months after his cycling accident which damaged his frontal lobe (see below), Cracknell competed in the
Yukon Arctic Ultra. He finished second in the 430-mile race across the frozen Alaskan countryside, beaten only by British cyclist Alan Sheldon who beat Cracknell's 163:20 with his own 99:30. Cracknell's participation in the race was filmed for the documentary The Coldest Race on Earth aired on the Discovery Channel.
He ran the 2012 London Marathon in just under three hours, one of the fastest celebrities, but behind
Nell McAndrew
Tracey Jane McAndrew (born 6 November 1973), known as Nell McAndrew, is an English glamour model, TV presenter and fitness trainer. She is also an accomplished amateur athlete, with a marathon personal best time of 2:54:39.
Early life
McAndrew w ...
.
In 2018, Cracknell enrolled at
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...
to study for a
MPhil
The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...
degree in
human evolution
Human evolution is the evolutionary process within the history of primates that led to the emergence of ''Homo sapiens'' as a distinct species of the hominid family, which includes the great apes. This process involved the gradual development o ...
.
On 7 April 2019, Cracknell became the oldest competitor, and oldest winner, for
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...
in the
2019 Boat Race; at the age of 46 he became the oldest rower in the
event's history by 10 years.
In 2019, Cracknell participated in the
seventeenth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'', where he was partnered with professional dancer
Luba Mushtuk. He was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the show after losing the dance off to
David James and
Nadiya Bychkova.
He competed in the third series of ''
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins''. In 2021, Cracknell again ran the London Marathon with a time of 2:55:39.
Presenting and journalism
Cracknell has presented sport on
ITV,
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
and BBC. He covered The Boat Race 2007 with
Mark Durden-Smith for ITV and is the presenter of ITV's coverage of the
British Superbike Championship
The British Superbike Championship (BSB), currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, is the leading road racing superbike championship in the United Kingdom, and was once widely acknowledged as the pr ...
. He is also the main presenter of Channel 4's
Red Bull Air Race World Series
The World Championship Air Race is a series of air races sanctioned by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI). Originally established in 2003 as the Red Bull Air Race, and created by Red Bull GmbH, the event involves competitors navigating a ...
coverage. He is a contracted columnist with ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' writing about various topics including sport, motoring, gardening, cookery and others.
Charitable activities
From 27 February 2008 James Cracknell covered over 1,400 miles from Britain to Africa in 10 days, rowing, cycling and swimming. He rowed from
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
, England to
Cap Gris Nez
Cap Gris-Nez (literally "cape grey nose"; ) is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais ''département'' in northern France.
The 'Cliffs of the Cape' is the closest point of France to England – from their English counterparts at D ...
, France, then cycled to
Tarifa
Tarifa (, Arabic: طريفة) is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa ...
, Spain, and finally swam across the
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaism, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to ...
from Tarifa to
Punta Cires, Morocco. The comedian
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series '' Little ...
joined him for the final part of his journey providing support from his previous experience of swimming the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...
. The money raised by the challenge went towards the BBC's
Sport Relief
''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002.
It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...
charity, with highlights of the action broadcast on 14 March. He was the
celebrity
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
guest at The WiG GiG which raise over £10,000 for
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, ...
.
In January 2009, Cracknell took part in the Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Race with his TV presenter friend
Ben Fogle
Benjamin Myer Fogle, (born 3 November 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channels Channel 5, BBC and ITV.
Early life
Fogle is the son of English actress Juli ...
and Dr Ed Coats as members of ''Team QinetiQ'', finishing in second, 20 hours behind the winning Norwegian team. The race and the reasons behind was broadcast on BBC Television during summer 2009 in the series ''
On Thin Ice''. The trio raised funds for the
children's medical research charity Sparks, chosen as the charity partner in memory of Cracknell's niece, Eva, who died at six days old after suffering oxygen deprivation at birth.
On Saturday 3 October 2009, Cracknell and Ben Fogle started a 60-hour (estimated) journey from
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
to London riding a
rickshaw
A rickshaw originally denoted a two- or three-wheeled passenger cart, now known as a pulled rickshaw, which is generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also ...
in support of
SSAFA
SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, is a UK charity that provides lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British Armed Forces and their families or dependents. Anyon ...
. They aimed to arrive in time for the ''
Pride of Britain Awards
The Pride of Britain Awards is an annual award ceremony which has taken place in the United Kingdom since May 1999 and first televised on ITV in April 2000.
The awards honour British people who have acted bravely or extraordinarily in challen ...
'' ceremony on Monday 5 October 2009. They endured storm force gales in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
and
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...
on their first day of the 450-mile ride.
Early on the last day they made a stop at
Etonbury Middle School in
Arlesey
Arlesey ( ) is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire. It is near the border with Hertfordshire, about three miles north-west of Letchworth Garden City, four miles north of Hitchin and six miles south of Biggleswade. Arlesey railway station p ...
, off the
A1 road to London, where about 100 children welcomed them and to wave them on their way.
Cycling accident, helmet advocacy
On 20 July 2010, Cracknell was hit from behind by a petrol tanker whilst cycling during an attempt to cycle, row, run and swim from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
to New York within 18 days.
The accident happened at around 5.30am on a quiet stretch of road outside
Winslow, Arizona
Winslow ( nv, ) is a city in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,655. It is approximately southeast of Flagstaff, west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and southeast of Las Vega ...
. He has attributed his survival to wearing a
cycle helmet at the time.
In the crash he suffered a
contrecoup injury to the frontal lobes of his brain. In 2012 Cracknell and his then-wife wrote ''Touching Distance'' about his life before and after his brain injury, which has left him with epilepsy and a changed personality. Since the accident he has been conspicuous in advocating the use of bicycle helmets.
European Parliament candidate
Having been a prominent supporter of the
NOtoAV campaign in the
2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum
The United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, also known as the UK-wide referendum on the Parliamentary voting system was held on Thursday 5 May 2011 (the same date as local elections in many areas) in the United Kingdom (UK) to choose the m ...
, in June 2013 Cracknell revealed his intention to stand in the
European Parliament election of 2014. He commented "The European Union is going to have an effect on my children and grandchildren. I'd like to think I can have an effect - bring a fresh perspective. It's not something I have to do, it's something I want to do."
In October 2013, Cracknell was announced as a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
candidate in
South West England and Gibraltar, together with
Ashley Fox
Sir Ashley Fox (born 15 November 1969)''Who's who'' for second forename,birthplace, parents, marriage and family details is a British Conservative Party politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England & Gib ...
,
Julie Girling
Julie McCulloch Girling (born 21 December 1956) is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England between 2009 and 2019, and leader of the Renew Party from 2019 to 2020.
Formerly a Conserva ...
,
Georgina Butler,
Sophia Swire and Melissa Maynard.
[Your candidates for the European Parliament Elections 2014]
30 October 2013, devizesconservatives.com Although he was at number 3 on the Conservative
party list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
, Cracknell was unsuccessful.
Personal life
In 2002, Cracknell married TV presenter
Beverley Turner. The couple had three children: a son, Croyde (born October 2003), and two daughters, Kiki (born March 2009) and Trixie (born April 2011).
They announced their separation on 29 March 2019 after 17 years of marriage.
In January 2021, he announced his engagement to Jordan Connell. They were married in August 2021.
Achievements
*
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
Medals: 2 Gold
*
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
Medals: 6 Gold
*
Junior World Championship Medals: 1 Gold
Olympic games
* 2004 – Gold, Coxless Four (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
,
Steve Williams,
Ed Coode)
* 2000 – Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent,
Tim Foster,
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...
)
World championships
* 2003 – 4th, Coxless Pair (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
)
* 2002 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
)
* 2001 – Gold, Coxless Pair (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
)
* 2001 – Gold, Coxed Pair (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
, Neil Chugani)
* 1999 – Gold, Coxless Four (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
, Ed Coode,
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...
)
* 1998 – Gold, Coxless Four (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
, Tim Foster,
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...
)
* 1997 – Gold, Coxless Four (with
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals.
Since retiring, he has worked as a sports b ...
, Tim Foster,
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...
)
* 1995 – 10th, Double Sculls
* 1994 – 8th, Eight
* 1993 – 6th, Eight
* 1991 – 7th, Coxless Four (with John Garrett, Gavin Stewart, James Walker)
Junior world championships
* 1990 – Gold, Coxless Four
* 1989 – 10th, Coxed Pair
Boat Race
* 2019 -
The Boat Race
The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men' ...
, rowing for the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
World Records
* 2020 - British Indoor Rowing Marathon Record for Heavyweight 40-49 Men
Styles
* James Cracknell (1972–2001)
* James Cracknell, MBE (2001–2004)
* James Cracknell, OBE (2004-date)
National honour
*
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE)
References
External links
James Cracknell's personal websiteAtlantic Rowing RaceAmundsen Omega 3 South Pole RaceJames Cracknell's column archive elegraph.co.uk
''Gold Fever''at
bbc.co.uk
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, the children ...
BBC Woman's Hour interview with James' wife, Beverley Turner bc.co.uk
James Cracknell at www.standard.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cracknell, James
1972 births
Living people
English male rowers
People educated at Kingston Grammar School
Alumni of the University of Reading
Alumni of the UCL Institute of Education
Alumni of Brunel University London
English Olympic medallists
Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Olympic rowers of Great Britain
Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Members of Leander Club
Olympic medalists in rowing
People with traumatic brain injuries
Conservative Party (UK) politicians
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
British sportsperson-politicians
Conservative Party (UK) people
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Rowers from Greater London
World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics