Kate Slatter
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Kate Elizabeth Slatter OAM (born 10 November 1971; married name Kate Allen) is an Australian former
rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...
, a sixteen time national champion, world champion and Olympic champion from
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. She is a three-time Olympian who in 1996 won Australia's first Olympic gold in women's rowing.


Club and state rowing

Slatter began rowing at the Adelaide University Boat Club in 1989, and rowed in their victorious women's eight at the 1996 Australian University Games, two weeks after winning gold in Atlanta. Slatter made her selection debut for South Australia in 1992 in the state women's coxless four to contest the ULVA Trophy at the Interstate Regatta within the
Australian Rowing Championships The Australian Rowing Championships is an annual rowing event that determines Australia's national rowing champions and facilitates selection of Australian representative crews for World Championships and the Olympic Games. It is Australia's pre ...
. She raced in further South Australian women's coxless fours in 1993, 1996 and 1998 seeing a victory in 1996. In 1999 the blue riband women's heavy weight event at the Australian Interstate Regatta became an event for eights. Slatter stroked the first two South Australian women's eight which competed for the ULVA Trophy in 1999 and 2000. In AUBC colours Slatter contested national titles at the
Australian Rowing Championships The Australian Rowing Championships is an annual rowing event that determines Australia's national rowing champions and facilitates selection of Australian representative crews for World Championships and the Olympic Games. It is Australia's pre ...
on many occasions starting with her 1990 win of the U23 women's coxless four championship. In 1991 Slatter first competed at the national level with Megan Still when they contested the Australian women's pair championship title in an AIS composite crew. That same year Slatter and Still won two national senior championships together - the open women's coxless four and the open women's eight in an AIS crew but wearing AUBC colours. In 2000 she won the national coxless pairs championship title with
Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian television series ''headLand'' (2005–2006) as Sasha Forbes. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films in ...
. All told Slatter won sixteen Australian championship titles for either South Australia or the Adelaide University Boat Club.


International representative rowing

Slatter's first Australian representative selection came at age twenty and straight into the senior women's squad for the
1991 World Rowing Championships The 1991 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 19 to 25 August 1991 in Vienna, Austria. The regatta was held on the New Danube. Medal summary The finals were raced on Saturday and Sunday, 24 and 25 Augus ...
in Vienna.Slatter at World Rowing
/ref> She was selected in the women's coxless four with Jodie Dobson, Emmy Snook and
Megan Marcks Megan Leanne Marcks (née Still), Order of Australia, OAM (born 19 October 1972) is an Australian former national, Olympic and world champion rower. She is an Olympic and World Champion in the coxless pair who represented Australia at the Olympi ...
. All four girls doubled up in the Australian women's eight. The 1991 coxless four stayed together into the 1992 Olympic year and were selected to compete at the
1992 Barcelona 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 ...
. They had to defeat France in a qualification regatta to get through. Then in the Olympic lead-up Marcks suffered a stress fracture of the rib affecting the crew's preparation. They made the Olympic final in the
coxless four A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...
, a good result given their lack of international racing experience but finished in overall sixth place. With Snook and Dobson changed out for Courtney Johnstone and Gina Douglas, Slatter and Marcks stayed together in the coxless four into 1993 and they competed at the 1993 World Rowing Championships in Racice where again they were last in the A final and achieved a sixth place. At the
1994 World Rowing Championships The 1994 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 11 to 18 September 1994 at Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, United States. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table References

...
Slatter and Marcks were still in the coxless four and now with Alison Davies and Tory Toogood they rowed to a bronze medal. All four girls backed up in the Australian women's eight and with Slatter in the six seat, they rowed to a sixth-place finish. In 1995 in their fifth year of rowing together Slatter and Marcks stepped into the Australian women's coxed pair. They were about to make Australian women's rowing history. At the
1995 World Rowing Championships The 1995 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 20 to 28 August 1995 at Lake Kaukajärvi, Tampere Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakel ...
in Tampere they won their heat, semi and the final claimed a world championship title and put their opponents on notice as to their Olympics aspirations. They also doubled up in the engine room - seated at three and four - of the women's eight who placed ninth overall. At the
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, ...
Marcks and Slatter in the
coxless pair A coxless pair, abbreviated as a 2- and also known as a straight pair, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each ...
, prevailed over an equally fancied American crew with a 0.39 seconds margin to claim the first Olympic title by an Australian women’s crew. It was a tremendous day for Australian rowing as the girls' gold medal was matched by the Oarsome Foursome of Ginn, Tomkins, McKay, Green and was supplemented by a silver medal from the men’s coxless pair making it the best day for Australian rowing at an Olympic regatta till 2008.AOC profile Megan Marcks
/ref> Upon Marcks' 1996 retirement, Slatter was determined to go again and needed to find a new pair partner to build a campaign for Sydney 2000. She chose
Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian television series ''headLand'' (2005–2006) as Sasha Forbes. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films in ...
after rowing with her in the women's eight at various international competitions including 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 World Rowing Federation, FISA, back then International Rowing Fede ...
. Slatter competed in the eight and in a coxless four at two World Rowing Cups in Europe in 1998 and then in the eight to a fourth placing at Cologne 1998. In 1999 Slatter and
Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian television series ''headLand'' (2005–2006) as Sasha Forbes. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films in ...
came together in the coxless pair. They raced at a World Rowing Cup and then at the
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 ...
in St Catharines to a bronze medal. In the 2000 Olympic year they raced with success at two World Rowing Cups in Europe before coming to Sydney. At the
Sydney 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 ...
they placed second in their heat, won their repechage and placed second behind the Romanians in the Olympic final, beating out the US pair for the silver by 4/100ths of a second. Their racing at Sydney 2000 was in a shell named after
Megan Marcks Megan Leanne Marcks (née Still), Order of Australia, OAM (born 19 October 1972) is an Australian former national, Olympic and world champion rower. She is an Olympic and World Champion in the coxless pair who represented Australia at the Olympi ...
. It was a fitting end to a stellar representative career for Slatter. Arguably Slatter was Australia's finest ever female rower until Kim Crow's dominance was established between 2012 and 2016.


Accolades

Slatter was awarded the Order of Australia medal for her rowing achievements. In 2001, she was inducted into the
Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
"Best of the Best".Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best'
In 2002, she was inducted into the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...
.


References


External links

*
Australian Rowing HistoryAustralian Institute of Sport

Adelaide University Boat Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slatter, Kate Elizabeth 1971 births Living people Australian female rowers People educated at Geelong Grammar School Australian Institute of Sport rowers Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Rowers from Adelaide Sportswomen from South Australia