Keith Charles Trask (born 27 November 1960) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic gold medal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

in Los Angeles.

Early life

Trask was born in 1960 in Hastings, New Zealand. Trask has a twin brother Paul. Their parents are Charles (died 2015) and Maureen Trask. They received their education in Hastings; first at Mayfair School and then at Hastings Intermediate.

Rowing career

Trask was selected to compete at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

in Moscow with the coxed four but did not compete due to the Olympics boycott. He believes that he missed out being selected for the New Zealand eight in 1982 despite being "good enough to be there"; the team went on to win gold at the

1982 World Rowing Championships The 1982 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 28 to 29 August 1982 at Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table References {{World Rowing Champio ...

at Rotsee in Switzerland without him. In 1983, he moved from the Hawke's Bay to Auckland so that he could join the

North Shore Rowing Club North Shore Rowing Club is the oldest sporting club on the north side of Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia formed in 1879. It has occupied its current site on the Lane Cove River at Yacht Bay, Longueville since 1933. The club has a focus on mas ...

to increase his chances to get picked for a national team. In 1983 the crew of

Conrad Robertson Conrad Christian Robertson (born 27 December 1957) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Early life Robertson was born in 1957 in Devonport. His father is the boat builder Chri ...

, Greg Johnston, Keith Trask, Les O'Connell, and Brett Hollister (cox) won the coxed four in Duisburg at the World Championships. Along with Les O'Connell, Shane O'Brien and Conrad Robertson he won gold in the coxless four at the

1984 Olympics The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an intern ...

at Lake Casitas in California. In 1986, Trask teamed with

Eric Verdonk Eric Franciscus Maria Verdonk (28 May 1959 – 3 April 2020) was a New Zealand rower who won bronze medals in the single sculls events at the 1988 Summer Olympics, 1986 Commonwealth Games, and 1990 World Rowing Championships. Career Verdonk ...

for the pairs and became New Zealand national champion. He later was a rowing coach for the North Shore Rowing Club, and currently coaches at Westlake Boys High School.

Family and later activities

Trask is married to Serena, and they have three children (one son and two daughters) born between 1984 and 1987. They live in Auckland, where Trask works as a carpenter. He became self employed in 1999 when he founded his company, Keith Trask Limited. In 2009, he competed in ocean swimming.

References

External links

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Team photo
of the 1984 coxless four {{DEFAULTSORT:Trask, Keith 1960 births Living people People educated at Karamu High School New Zealand male rowers Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in rowing Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand