Marcus Free is an Australian former rower.

Rowing family

Free was born in

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smal ...

. His father Reg Free rowed in numerous King's Cup crews for Tasmania from 1962 and in 1967, became the first Tasmanian oarsman selected to row in the Australian men's

eight 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art * The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the ...

when they competed by invitation at the

1967 European Rowing Championships The 1967 European Rowing Championships were rowing championships held on Lake Allier, a reservoir in the Allier River adjacent to the French city of Vichy. This edition of the European Rowing Championships was held from 1 to 3 September for women ...

in Vichy, France. The family relocated to Queensland in 1983 and in the next decade Reg Free coached several Queensland King's Cup crews and coached his sons Marcus and younger brother

Duncan Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (di ...

to state, national and international victories. Marcus now dedicates his time to coaching at Griffith University. His athletes include his oldest son Jackson.

State and club rowing

Free first made state selection for Queensland in the 1996 men's senior eight contesting the King's Cup 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 ...

. He rowed in further King's Cup races for Queensland in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. He rowed in all five of those King's Cup crews with his brother.

International representative rowing

Marcus and Duncan, coached by Reg, were paired in the men's double scull at two world championships - 1997 in Aiguebelette and 1998 in Cologne. They took a bronze medal at

Lac d'Aiguebelette Lac d'Aiguebelette is a natural lake in the commune of Aiguebelette-le-Lac, within the department of Savoie, France. Geography Description With a surface area of 5.45 km2 and a depth of 71 meters it is one of the largest natural lakes of F ...

, France in 1997. Before those World Championships they'd rowed at World Rowing Cups in Europe in each of those years.Free at World Rowing
/ref> Free has also won the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta twice in the Double Sculls Challenge Cup, both in 1996 and 1997, with Peter Antonie and Duncan Free (brother), respectively. Marcus has also gone on to become a successful rowing coach, coaching Cormac Kennedy-Leverett to a Silver medal at the 2018 World Junior Rowing Championships held in Racice, Czech Republic. Free again also coached Kennedy-Leverett to a 7th at the 2019 World Under 23 Rowing Championships held in Sarasota-Bradenton, USA.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Free, Marcus 1969 births Living people Australian male rowers Sportspeople from Hobart World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia 20th-century Australian people Sportsmen from Tasmania