Seán Joseph Drea (born 3 March 1947
) is a former Olympic
rower from
Ireland, specialising in the
single scull. He won the
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...
's
Diamond Sculls
The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs. three years in a row, and was the first Irish rower to win a World Championship medal securing silver in the 1975
World Championships.
Drea lives in Greystones,
and is originally from
Muine Bheag
Bagenalstown ( ), officially named Muine Bheag (), is a small town on the River Barrow in County Carlow, Ireland.
History and name
The town grew within the townland of Moneybeg, from Irish ''Muine Bheag'' or ''Muinebheag'' (meaning "small th ...
,
County Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
. He tried many sports before joining
Neptune Rowing Club after moving to
Dublin to work
in advertising. He later went to
Philadelphia, where he attended
St. Joseph's University on a scholarship and also rowed for
Vesper Boat Club. He lost to
Aleksandr Timoshinin
Aleksandr Ivanovich Timoshinin (russian: Александр Иванович Тимошинин, 20 May 1948 – 26 November 2021) was a Russian Rowing (sport), rower, born in Moscow, who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1968 Summer Olympics ...
in the final of the 1972 Diamond Sculls when the steering fin broke off his boat.
, he came seventh.
In 1974, he won the U.S. national championships, and was the favorite for the World Championships in
Rotsee; however he withdrew for an emergency
kidney stone removal.
At the 1975 World Championships, he finished second to
Peter-Michael Kolbe.
, he broke the 2000 m
world record in the semi-final with a time of 6:52.46.
However, he finished fourth in the final after a poor third quarter.
Drea spent years in Philadelphia as a coach for
Fairmount Rowing Association
Fairmount Rowing Association is an amateur rowing club, founded in 1877. The facility, located at #2 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Fairmount originally ...
,
La Salle University
La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle.
History
La ...
and the
US national team, and rowed in the
Head of the River Race in 1997 with a veteran
Schuylkill Navy crew.
Today, Drea lives in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, Ireland and runs an organic farming business.
Sean's son Jack Drea rowed for
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...
and won the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2006 and competed in the Ladies Challenge Plate in a Oxford Brookes & Oxford University composite in 2007.
Record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drea, Sean
1947 births
Living people
Irish male rowers
Olympic rowers of Ireland
Organic farmers
Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Saint Joseph's University alumni
Sportspeople from County Carlow
World Rowing Championships medalists for Ireland