Megan Still
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Megan Leanne Marcks (née Still), 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 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 ...
who represented Australia at the Olympics in
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 ...
and
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 ...
.


Club and state rowing

Marcks was born in 1972 in
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the Queanbeyan-Pale ...
, New South Wales. She was selected by 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 ...
as a candidate rower (based on physique and aerobic capacity) through their Talent Identification program in 1988, having had no former involvement with the sport, although Marcks had had a successful career as a junior athlete. Rowing in Canberra Rowing club colours in an AIS composite crew she contested the women's U19 coxless four title at the 1990
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 ...
. In 1991 she first competed at the national level with Kate Slatter when they contested the Australian women's pair championship title in an AIS composite crew. That same year she won her first national championship titles with Kate Slatter – the open women's coxless four and the women's eight in AIS crews but wearing Canberra Rowing Club colours. In 1993 she was selected in the New South Wales' 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 New South Wales women's coxless fours in 1994 and 1995 and stroked the 1994 crew. In 1996 she stroked an ACT crew selected to compete for the ULVA Trophy.


International representative rowing

Marcks' first Australian representative selection came at age eighteen when she was selected in 1990 in the women's junior eight to contest the 1990
Junior World Rowing Championships The World Rowing U19 Championships, former name World Rowing Junior Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). A rower or coxswain shall be classified as a Junior until 31 December ...
in Aiguebelette, France. The eight rowed to fourth place.Still at World Rowing
/ref> In 1991, only her third year of rowing she was elevated to the Australian senior women's squad and selected in the women's coxless four with Jodie Dobson, Emmy Snook and Kate Slatter to compete at 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. All four girls doubled up in the Australian women's eight. The 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 Marcks in the three 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, ...
in Still 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 ever day for Australian rowing at an Olympic regatta till 2008.


Rowing palmares

*1990 Junior World Championships-France, Women's Eight: 4th *1992 Olympics-Barcelona, Women's Four: 6th *1993 World Championships-Czech Republic, Women's Four: 6th *1994 World Championships-Indianapolis, Women's Four: 3rd *1994 Commonwealth Games Regatta-Canada, Women's Four: 2nd *1994 Commonwealth Games Regatta-Canada, Women's Eight: 2nd *1995 World Championships-Finland, Women's Pair: 1st *1996 Olympics-Atlanta, Women's Pair: 1st


Post retirement rowing honours

*1997: Medal of the
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
*2000:
Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...
*2003:
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 ...
inductee Marcks is honoured within her home city of
Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the Queanbeyan-Pale ...
(New South Wales, Australia) by the naming of "Megan Still Court", located adjacent to the
Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council is a Local government areas of New South Wales, local government area (LGA) located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of t ...
chambers. She retired from the sport in 1997. She is married, has a daughter and a son and works with the
ACT Academy of Sport The ACT Academy of Sport (ACTAS) was launched in 1989. It is an endorsed Australian Olympic Committee and Australian Paralympic Committee National Training Centre and a member of the National Institutes of Network.usda-z@dc*086613@los-zetas.gmail. ...
on talent programs. Inaugural inductee to University of Canberra Sport Walk of Fame in 2022.


Notes


References


Australian Rowing Results for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcks, Megan 1972 births Living people Sportspeople from Queanbeyan Olympic rowers for Australia Australian female rowers Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rowing Australian Institute of Sport rowers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australia Sportswomen from New South Wales University of Canberra alumni 20th-century Australian sportswomen