Anthony John Edwards (born 22 December 1972 in

Ballarat, Victoria Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. Within months of Vi ...

) is an Australian former lightweight

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

. He is a five time

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, triple Olympic medallist, a world champion and a six-time Australian national champion. He represented Australia at the premier world regattas consistently over a twenty-year period from 1993 to 2012.

Club and state rowing

Edwards' senior rowing was done from the Ballarat City Rowing Club where he moved to take up sculling in 1990. He previously rowed at St. Patrick's College, Ballarat, earlier in the same year and stroked the Firsts crew to victory in the Ballarat Head of the Lake Regatta. That victory broke the 22-year drought for the school which had not won the premier event of Head of the Lake Regatta for that long. He joined Wendouree-Ballarat Club Rowing Club in 1999 moving to four-oared crews. Later in his career he relocated to Tasmania in 2006 where he rowed from the New Norfolk Rowing Club in Hobart. Edwards was first selected to represent Victoria at the Interstate Regatta within the

Australian Rowing Championships Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

in 1995 when he raced to a second place in the single scull contesting the President's Cup. From 1996 to 2004 and excepting 2001, Edwards represented Victoria in the men's lightweight four contesting the Penrith Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships. His Victorian 1996 lightweight four was victorious. After his relocation to Tasmania he was selected in the Tasmanian lightweight four in 2010. That crew won the Penrith Cup that year. Edwards contested national championship titles at the

on numerous occasions. In 1991, 1992 and 1993 he won the Senior B sculling championship and 1995 and 1997 he won the National Champion Lightweight sculls for Ballarat City Rowing Club. In 2002 he won the national lightweight sculls championship in Wendouree-Ballarat colours. He won the lightweight coxless four title in an Australian selection composite crew in 2007.

International representative rowing

In 1991 Edwards won his first National Championship in the scull winning Men's Senior B (U23) Sculling championship in Adelaide. In 1992 he teamed with Tim Wise, his Ballarat City teammate to win the Champion Senior Lightweight double sculls. He also won the Men's Lightweight Senior B scull championship. As a result of this performance Edwards earned his first national representative selection at the 1992 U23 Trans Tasman regatta where he raced a double scull with Jason Tutty winning comfortably all their races in the series. The following year he made his debut Australian senior representative appearance in a lightweight

quad 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. ...

which finished seventh at the

1993 World Rowing Championships The 1993 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 30 August to 5 September 1993 at Račice, Czech Republic. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table References {{World Rowing Cham ...

in Racize. At Indianapolis 1994 he again raced in the lightweight quad. That crew made the A final and finished fifth. For the

1995 World Rowing Championships File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

in Tampere, Edwards raced a lightweight double scull with veteran lightweight Bruce Hick to a bronze medal. They stayed together into the 1996 Olympic year, the first time lightweight events were introduced to the Olympic regatta. With their great technical proficiency Hick and Edwards were selected again in the double scull and were expected to medal. They won their heat and placed second in their semi to make the A final. The Swiss brothers Michael and Markus Gier were favourites and Hick & Edwards placed third, winning bronze in the final, being beaten out by 0.21 seconds by the Dutch crew for silver. This medal was won when he was competing for Ballarat City Rowing Club and was the first Olympic representation and medal awarded to a Ballarat City member in the club's 125-year history. In 1997 Edwards remained in the Australian lightweight double scull now paired with Queensland's Gary Lynagh. They raced at two Rowing World Cups in Europe before contesting the

1997 World Rowing Championships The 1997 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 31 August to 7 September 1997 at Lac d'Aiguebelette, France. The annual week-long rowing regatta was organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation), ...

in Aiguebelette, France where they finished fifth. In 1998 the Australian selectors switched Edwards to sweep-oared representative crews and he raced at two World Rowing Cups in Europe and at the

1998 World Rowing Championships The 1998 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 9 to 18 September 1998 in Cologne, Germany. The World Rowing Championships are organized by FISA, the International Rowing Federation. Medal summary Men's e ...

in the lightweight coxless four. They won the bronze medal at Cologne 1998. He remained in that combination with Darren Balmforth,

Bob Richards Robert Eugene Richards (born February 20, 1926) is an American retired athlete, minister, and politician. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. He ...

and stroked by the Tasmanian lightweight champion Simon Burgess into 1999. They finished in fifth place at St Catharines 1999. That same combination made their Olympic preparation through two World Rowing Cups in Europe in 2000 before contesting the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug language, Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport ...

with Richards at stroke and Burgess at bow. Edwards held his position in the two seat through their Olympic campaign which showcased two match races between the Australians and the French crew. They met in a semi-final where the Australians pipped the French by 3/100ths of a second. In the final the Australians led for much of the race. The French tried once to break through and failed, then a second time and failed and finally with a matter of metres to go broke through to win by less than half a second. Both races were superb and a highlight of the regatta. Edwards took a break in 2001 but was back in national selection contention in 2002 as a lightweight sculler. He was Australia's lightweight single sculls representative at the World Rowing Cup II in Lucerne and for the

2002 World Rowing Championships The 2002 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 15 to 22 September 2002 on the Guadalquivir at Seville, Spain. Adaptive events were held for the first time at a World Championships. Medal summary Men's e ...

in Seville where he placed fifth. For Milan 2003 he was selected with Queensland's Haimish Karrasch to race the lightweight double scull. They finished in tenth place. For the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Edwards made his way back into the Australian lightweight coxless four. Both Edwards and Simon Burgess were making their third Olympic appearances and still looking for their first Olympic gold medal. The Danish crew however were favourites and they got away in the 1st 500m. Burgess brought the Australian crew back into contention in the second and third 500 metres. However the Danes still had something in reserve in the rush home extending their lead to 1.4 seconds at the finish. Edwards & Burgess with newcomers Ben Cureton and Glen Loftus won an Olympic silver medal.2004 Olympics
/ref> Edwards came back into the lightweight coxless four in 2007 with Cureton, Todd Skipworth and Rod Chisholm from New South Wales. They raced at a 2007 World Rowing Cup and then at the 2007 World Rowing Championships in Munich to a seventh placing. Their lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics included a third place at the World Rowing Cup III in Poznan and a seventh place at the WRC I. In Beijing the experienced lightweight foursome didn't figure in the medals in the tough Olympic conditions, they made the B final and finished in ninth place overall. At the

2010 World Rowing Championships The 2010 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 31 October to 7 November 2010 on Lake Karapiro near Cambridge, New Zealand. The annual week-long rowing regatta was organised by FISA (the International Ro ...

in Lake Karapiro, Edwards rowed in the Australian lightweight four with Skipworth,

Blair Tunevitsch Blair Tunevitsch (born 28 September 1985) is an Australian former lightweight rower – a five time national champion and world champion. He won a gold medal at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Bled with the lightweight men's eight. Club ...

and

Samuel Beltz Samuel Beltz (born 31 August 1980) is an Australian former lightweight rower. He is a 16-time national champion, a world champion and dual Olympian. He competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics and represented Australia at the premier worl ...

to a silver medal. It was a thrilling race finish where five crews crossed the line within half a boat length. The Australian four with Edwards at the bow, finished 0.07 secs behind Great Britain and 0.01 secs ahead of China to claim his fourth world championship medal – a silver. In 2011 that Australian lightweight four stayed together with Tunevitsch changed out for West Australian Ben Cureton. At the

2011 World Rowing Championships The 2011 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 28 August to 4 September 2011 at Lake Bled in the Slovenian city of Bled. The annual week-long rowing regatta is organized by World Rowing Federation (FISA) ...

in Bled they staged a brilliant campaign. Second in their heat, they had to qualify for the final through a repechage and a semi-final. In the final they rowed through the field from a fifth position at the 500m mark, to be 2nd at both the 1000 and 1500 and overtook the Italians in final run to take the gold medal with a 1.2 second margin. Edwards in the bow seat won his first senior world championship title, nineteen years after first representing Australia in green and gold.Edwards at World Rowing
/ref> Their world champion status qualified the lightweight foursome for the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

for which they prepared by racing at two World Rowing Cups in Europe. At the 2012 Olympic regatta they placed second in the heat, third in the semi-final and made the Olympic final, finishing in fourth place. Less than one and a quarter seconds separated the first to fourth crews. Cureton, Skipworth and Edwards all retired at that point. For Edwards it was the end of a twenty-year stellar representative career.

Post-rowing

Edwards currently is the Head of Rowing for The Friends' School in Hobart, Tasmania. He previously worked for the State Development Officer for Rowing Tasmania, and has extensive involvement in the selection of Tasmanian state crews. In 2010 he was inducted as a member of the Rowing Victoria Hall of Fame.

Rowing Palmares

Olympics

1996 Atlanta Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

LM2x bow – bronze *

LM4- two seat – silver *

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

LM4- two seat – ninth *

LM4- two seat – fourth

World Championships

*1992 Trans Tasman Under 23 Series Lwt single scull *

Lwt quad scull three seat – seventh *

1994 World Rowing Championships The 1994 World Rowing Championships were 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 no ...

Lwt quad scull three seat – fifth *

Lwt double scull bow – bronze *

Lwt double scull bow – fifth *

Lwt four three seat – bronze *

1999 World Rowing Championships The 1999 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 22 to 29 August 1999 at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal t ...

Lwt four two seat – silver *

Lwt single scull – fifth *

2003 World Rowing Championships The 2003 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 25 August to 1 September 2003 on the lake Idroscalo at Milan, Italy. The international rowing season usually ends with the World Championship regatta. Apart ...

Lwt double scull – bow tenth *

2007 World Rowing Championships The 2007 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 26 August to 2 September 2007 at Oberschleißheim Regatta Course near Munich, Germany. Medal summary Men's events Non-Olympic classes Women's events N ...

Lwt four two seat – seventh *

Lwt four bow – silver *

Lwt four bow – gold

National Interstate Regatta

*1995 Interstate men's sculling championship (VIC) – second *1996 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) three seat – first *1997 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) three seat – second *1998 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) three seat – second *1999 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) three seat – second *2000 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) two seat – third *2002 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) two seat – fourth *2003 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) three seat – sixth *2004 Interstate men's lwt four championship (VIC) bow – second *2010 Interstate men's lwt four championship (TAS) two seat – first

References

External links

*
Australian Olympic Committee profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Anthony Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia 1972 births Living people Olympic medalists in rowing Australian male rowers Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics 20th-century Australian people 21st-century Australian people