Nathan Phillip Cohen (born 2 January 1986) is a New Zealand rower. He is a two-time world champion, and won a
gold medal in the Olympics. In 2006, rowing a
single scull
A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to mini ...
, he won a gold medal at the
World University Games. In doing so, he became the first New Zealander to win a gold medal at the World University Games in any sport. Cohen and his rowing partner,
Joseph Sullivan, won back-to-back gold medals in the men's
double scull
A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...
s at both the 2010 and 2011
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 th ...
. At the
2012 Summer Olympics, he and his partner won the gold medal in the men's double sculls, after breaking the Olympic best time in the heats. In 2013, Cohen was made a Member of the
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
for his services to rowing.
Biography
Early years
Cohen was born in
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...
, in the
South Island of New Zealand. His father is Phil Cohen. His younger brother Hayden, exactly six years his junior, is also a rower.
Hayden was the 2012 U23 World Champion in the double scull, and in 2013 partnered with Nathan in the quad scull, winning a silver medal in the first World Cup regatta held in Sydney.
Cohen grew up in
Invercargill
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...
in
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...
, and started rowing in 2000.
He grew up racing on
Lake Ruataniwha
Lake Ruataniwha is an artificial lake in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand. It was formed in 1977–1981 as part of the Waitaki hydroelectric project. It lies on the traditional boundary of the Canterbury and Otago provinces, ...
in
Twizel
Twizel () is the largest town in the Mackenzie District, in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. The town was founded in 1968 to house construction workers on the Upper Waitaki Hydroelectric Scheme. Today, Twizel is a se ...
, in the
South Island of New Zealand.
2003–06; World University Games champion
Cohen won the boys under-18
single scull
A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to mini ...
event at the
New Zealand Secondary School Rowing Championships in 2003, while attending
James Hargest High School.
He credits that with being his most memorable race, saying: "It showed me that if you wanted something enough and were willing to push yourself beyond all your perceived limits, anything was possible."
After graduating high school, he began studying for an engineering degree at the
University of Canterbury.
He later switched to studying for a commerce degree at
Massey University, by correspondence.
He attended the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate ...
, where he was a member of the
Otago University Rowing Club. He is a member of the
Invercargill Rowing Club, which honored him for his accomplishments by making him a life member.
In both 2003 and 2004, Cohen was second in the
World Rowing Junior Championships
The World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31 December of the year in which he reaches the age of ...
in the single scull. In 2005, he won a
silver medal in the
World Rowing U23 Championships
World Rowing U23 Championships is an international rowing regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is l ...
.
In the summer of 2006, rowing single sculls Cohen won a silver medal at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Belgium, a
gold medal in the
Commonwealth Rowing Regatta in Scotland, and a gold medal at the
World University Games by 8 seconds in Lithuania.
He became the first New Zealander to win a gold medal at the World University Championship in any sport.
In recognition of his accomplishment, Cohen was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award at the
NZ Universities Blues Awards.
2007–11; World champion
In 2007, Cohen won a silver medal at the United States World Rowing Challenge in Oklahoma in men's single sculls.
In 2007 and early 2008, he rowed with Matthew Trott 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 th ...
in Munich, coming in sixth in the
double scull
A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...
s and securing a berth for New Zealand at the Olympics the following year.
At the
2008 Summer Olympics in
Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park
The Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park () was built for the rowing, canoeing and 10 km open-water swimming events in the 2008 Summer Olympics. It is located in Mapo Village in the Shunyi District in Beijing.
The first competitions at the venue ...
,
Shunyi
Shunyi District () is an administrative district of Beijing, located to the northeast of the city's urban core. As of 2014, the population of the district is around 983,000, of which approximately 601,000 have local residency permits. The Beiji ...
, Beijing in August 2008, he and
Rob Waddell
Robert Norman Waddell (born 7 January 1975) is a New Zealand Olympic Gold Medalist and double World Champion Single sculler rower, and America's Cup yachtsman. He is a triple New Zealand Supreme 'Halberg Awards' Sportsperson of the year winner ...
finished fourth in the double sculls final.
Cohen won back-to-back world championships. He won a gold medal in the men's double sculls with rowing partner
Joseph Sullivan at both the
2010 (at
Lake Karapiro
Lake Karapiro () is an artificial reservoir lake on the Waikato River at Karapiro, south-east of Cambridge in New Zealand's North Island. The lake was formed in 1947 by the damming of the Waikato River to store water for the 96-megawatt Karapir ...
, by six hundredths of a second over Germans
Hans Gruhne
Hans Gruhne (born 5 August 1988) is a German rower. He won gold as part of the German team in the men's quadruple sculls at the 2016 Rio Olympics
)
, nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams)
, athletes = 11,238
, events = 306 in 28 sp ...
and
Stephan Krüger, in 6:10.76) and
2011 World Rowing Championships (in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, in 6:22.63).
In 2011, he won the 2011 New Zealand National Rowing Championships single scull title at Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel, with a time of 7 minutes, 3.97 seconds, to win the
Sir Bernard Freyberg Cup.
He beat out single scull world champion
Mahé Drysdale
Alexander Mahé Owens Drysdale (born 19 November 1978) is a retired New Zealand rower. Drysdale is a two-time Olympic champion and a five-time world champion in the single sculls. He is a seven-time New Zealand national champion and five-time ...
by 7.46 seconds. He also won the double sculls with ex-partner Trott.
He was named Sportsman of the Year in the
2011 University of Waikato Blues Awards.
2012–present; Olympic champion
At the
2012 Summer Olympics at
Eton Dorney
Dorney Lake (also known as Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a 2012 Summer Olympics venue) is a purpose-built rowing lake in England. It is near the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of ...
,
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
, Cohen and rowing partner Sullivan won the
gold medal in the men's
double scull
A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand.
Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...
s, after a training regimen of 200 km each week on the water.
They broke the Olympic record best time in the heats, with a time of 6:11.30.
In the finals they were in last place at the 500 m mark, in fifth place at the 1000 m mark, in fourth at the 1500 m mark, and then sprinted as the line approached to take first for the victory, with a last quarter of 1:33.
They won with a time of 6 minutes, 31.67 seconds.
They finished ahead of the Italy's
Alessio Sartori
Alessio Sartori (born 13 November 1976) is an Italian competition rower and Olympic champion.
Biography
He received a gold medal in quadruple sculls at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, together with Agostino Abbagnale, Simone Raineri, and R ...
and
Romano Battisti
Romano Battisti (born 21 August 1986) is an Italian yachtsman and former rower, who won silver medal in double sculls at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with Alessio Sartori.
Biography
Paired with Francesco Fossi at the 2016 Rio Olympics, he came in ...
by 1.13 seconds, and Slovenian 2000 Olympic champions and 2004 silver medalists
Luka Špik
Luka Špik (born 9 February 1979 in Kranj, SR Slovenia) is a Slovenian rower and Olympic gold medalist.
At the 2005 World Championship, he won gold in the Double Sculls event together with Iztok Čop and silver in the Quadruple Sculls with Iz ...
and
Iztok Čop
Iztok Čop (born 17 June 1972) is a Slovenian rower and Olympic gold medalist.
Biography
Čop was born in Kranj, SR Slovenia, and started rowing at the age of 13 in Bled, where Slovenia's best rowing club is located.
...
came in third.
Cohen became the first person from
Southland Southland may refer to:
Places Canada
* Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia
New Zealand
* Southland Region, a region of New Zealand
* Southland County, a former New Zealand county
* Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...
to win an Olympic medal for New Zealand.
Cohen and Sullivan were awarded a
Halberg Award for "New Zealand's Favourite Sporting Moment".
Cohen also obtained a
Bachelor of Management Studies
A Bachelor of Management or a Bachelor of Management Studies (BMgt, BMgmt) is an undergraduate degree for management studies offered by many universities throughout the world. The course allows you to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to as ...
(BMS) from the
University of Waikato
, mottoeng = For The People
, established = 1964; years ago
, endowment = (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $263.6 million (31 December 2020)
, chancellor = Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ
, vice_chancellor = Neil Quigley
, cit ...
in 2012.
In the
2013 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrat ...
, Cohen was appointed a
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
for services to rowing. Later that year he won the New Zealand national single sculls title at the 2013 New Zealand National Rowing Championships, again at Lake Ruataniwha, in a time of 6:57.76.
He also won the New Zealand Male Rower of the Year Award.
Cohen began rowing the
quadruple scull
A quadruple sculling boat, often simply called a quad and abbreviated 4x, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four people who propel the boat by sculling with two oars, or "sculls", one in each hand.
R ...
in 2013. His crew won a silver medal at the
Sydney World Cup regatta.
During training in April 2013, Cohen suffered an
irregular heartbeat
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...
, later diagnosed as
supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
That August, he withdrew from 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 th ...
in
Chungju, Korea, due to a recurrence of the problem during preliminary heats.
In December 2013, he announced his retirement from the sport due to this medical condition.
He later started competing again. At the 2017 New Zealand rowing nationals at
Lake Ruataniwha
Lake Ruataniwha is an artificial lake in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand. It was formed in 1977–1981 as part of the Waitaki hydroelectric project. It lies on the traditional boundary of the Canterbury and Otago provinces, ...
, he partnered with his brother Hayden for the men's double sculls, where they came sixth in the men's premier double sculls, with limited training. The brothers teamed up to win the senior men's doubles sculls and the men's senior quad sculls. Cohen then went on to win the senior men's single also. In 2019 he competed in the fours with his brother Hayden, Joe Findlay and Italian
Daniele Danesin.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Bio & Q&Aat Hudson Boat Works
"Gold again for dominant double sculls duo"at stuff.co.nz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Nathan
1986 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Invercargill
Rowers from Christchurch
Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Rowers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in rowing
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
New Zealand Jews
New Zealand male rowers
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Jewish sportspeople
University of Canterbury alumni
Massey University alumni
University of Waikato alumni
University of Otago alumni
People educated at James Hargest College
World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand