Derek Nesbitt-Porter (born 2 November 1967) is a gold medal-winning Olympic rower from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Early life and education

He was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland, and his father Hugh rowed for England at the

1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (Welsh: ''Gemau Ymerodraeth Prydain a'r Gymanwlad'' 1958) were held in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was the sixth edition of what would come to be known as the Commonwealth Games, the ...

, winning a bronze medal in the eight-oared race. Porter began his rowing career in his second year at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

Athletic career

Porter won his gold medal in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

, stroking the Canadian Men's Eight. In a photo finish, the Canadian boat won by 0.14 seconds, just nipping

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, with two-time defending World Champion

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

just 1.5 seconds back in third. Prior to the 1992 Olympics, Porter had rowed in the Canadian men's eight at the 1990 and 1991

World Championships 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 ...

, finishing second to Germany each time. Following the 1992 Olympics, Porter took up sculling. In 1993, he won the Single Scull event at the World Rowing Championships, and was one of the favorites at the

1996 Summer 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, ...

; Porter led most of the race, only to be passed by

Xeno Müller Xeno R. Müller (born 7 August 1972) is a Swiss people, Swiss Rowing (sport), rower and Olympic Games, Olympic gold medallist. Early career and university His first international appearance was at the 1990 World Rowing Junior Championships – ...

in the last 500 meters. Porter held on to win the silver medal ahead of two-time defending Olympic champion Thomas Lange, who finished third. Following that achievement, Porter was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1996. Following the 1996 Olympics, Porter devoted himself to

chiropractic Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It is based on several pseudoscientific ideas. Many c ...

school, and finished twelfth and thirteenth at the 1997 and 1998 World Championships, respectively. In 1999, Porter devoted more practice time to rowing and would go on to place third at the 1999 World Championship in the single scull behind Muller and Rob Waddell. One of the most anticipated rowing events at the

2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

was men's single scull. In addition to Porter, it featured two-time World Champion Rob Waddell, defending Olympic champion and three-time World Championship silver medalist

, and rising star

Marcel Hacker Marcel Hacker (born 29 April 1977, in Magdeburg) is a German rower. Career Hacker won an Olympic bronze medal in 2000 in Sydney and became a world champion in 2002 in Seville. In 2004, he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls for the ...

. The race lived up to the hype. Porter finished fourth in the closest Olympic race ever, little over 2 seconds separated first from fourth.

Retirement from Olympics

Following the 2000 Olympics, Porter retired from rowing and kept in shape by running triathlons. In 2003, he was inducted into the

hall of fame. Porter then started rowing again, winning the 2006 Canadian national team trials event in the single scull. Porter had planned to team with fellow Olympian Jake Wetzel in the double scull event at the 2006 World Championship, and possibly the

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

, but shortly before the Canadian Speed Order trials, Wetzel hurt his back preventing the boat from competing at the 2006 World Championships. In 2012, Porter was inducted into the Canadian sports hall of fame.

Personal life

Currently, Porter is a

chiropractor Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of physical disorder, mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the vertebral column, spine. It is based on sever ...

living in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

with his wife, Helen Rhee-Porter.

Record

Olympics

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, 4th, Single Scull (1x) *

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, Silver Medal, Single Scull (1x) *

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, Gold Medal, Eight (8+))

World Championships

*1999, Bronze Medal, Single Scull (1x) *1998, 13th Place, Single Scull (1x) *1997, 12th Place, Single Scull (1x) *1995, 7th Place, Single Scull (1x) *1994, 8th Place, Single Scull (1x) *1993, Gold Medal, Single Scull (1x) *1991, Silver Medal, Eight(8+) *1990, Silver Medal, Eight(8+)

References

External links

Canadian Olympic Committee
*
Video of 1996 Olympic race

Video of 2000 Olympic race
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Derek 1967 births Living people Canadian male rowers Olympic rowers for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic silver medalists for Canada Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Rowers from Vancouver Sportspeople from Belfast Olympic medalists in rowing Canadian chiropractors Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics University of Victoria alumni Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Rowers from Northern Ireland Pan American Games gold medalists in rowing Rowers at the 1999 Pan American Games World Rowing Championships medalists for Canada Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games 20th-century Canadian sportsmen