Simon Burgess (born 11 September 1967 in

Franklin, Tasmania Franklin is a historic Bank (geography), riverside town in the Huon Valley, Tasmania. Located on the western bank of the Huon River about south-west of Hobart, the Huon Highway links Franklin with Tasmania’s southernmost communities. It lies ...

) is an Australian national champion, two-time World Champion, three-time Olympian and dual Olympic silver medal-winning lightweight rower. He represented Australia ten times at

World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international Rowing (sport), rowing regatta organized by International Rowing Federation, FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer ...

between 1990 and 2002. He won world and national championships in both sculls and in sweep-oared boat classes during an eighteen-year elite level career.

Club and state rowing

An accomplished sculler and sweep oarsman, Burgess' senior rowing was with the Franklin Rowing Club in the small southern

Tasmanian Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th ...

town of Geeveston. Burgess began contesting national lightweight championship sculling titles at

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 1987 representing the Franklin Rowing Club. He won his first national championship being the Australian lightweight single sculls title in 1990 . He rowed in the Tasmania representative men's lightweight four who contested the Penrith Cup at the Interstate Regatta on ten occasions between 1993 and 2005. He stroked that crew on seven occasions in those years and was a crew member in the seven consecutive Tasmanian wins from 1999 to 2005. He contested the heavyweight singles sculls championship - the President's Cup - representing Tasmania in 1995.

International representative rowing

World Championships

Burgess was first selected to represent Australia in his "home" world championships at Lake Barrington 1990. The Australian quad scull contained two Tasmanian locals in Burgess and Stephen Hawkins and was coached by Tim McLaren and John Driessen, also Tasmanians. Hawkins stroked the crew (with Burgess at bow) to a bronze medal. The following year at Vienna 1991 that same crew (with Gary Lynagh and Bruce Hick at two and three) won gold and a World Championship title. They rowed through the field and won by 0.23 seconds. In 1992 Stephen Hawkins was selected in the Olympic heavyweight double scull and so the champion lightweight quad was broken up. At the 1992 lightweight World Championships Lynagh and Hick had success as a double while Burgess raced the lightweight single scull championship for a fifth place. For Roudnice 1993 and Indianapolis 1994 Burgess was back in the Australian lightweight quad scull and he stroked both those crews to a seventh place in 1993 and fifth place in 1994. Burgess did not make Australian representative sculling crews in 1995 or 1996 due to illness, but by 1997 he was performing and selected at the elite level in lightweight sweep oared boats. For Aiguebelette 1997 he was picked in the six seat of the Australian lightweight eight who won gold, earning Burgess his second World Championship title. For Cologne 1998 and then at St Catharine's 1999 Burgess rowed in the Australian

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 ...

. The same four took bronze in 1998 and silver, with Burgess at stroke in 1999.Burgess at World Rowing
/ref> Burgess' final World Championship appearances were in the build up to the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. He was again selected in the

who competed at Seville 2002 (4th place) and Milan 2003 (7th place).

Olympics

Atlanta 1996 saw lightweight events introduced to the Olympic regatta for the first time. Burgess was selected with his longstanding sculling partner Gary Lynagh in the lightweight

along with Haimish Karrasch and David Belcher. They made the Olympic final and placed sixth. For Sydney 2000 Burgess was again selected in the lightweight

The event ''The Event'' (stylized as THE EVƎNT) is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, Action fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. It was created by Nick Wauters and aired on NBC from September 20, 2010, to ...

showcased two match races between the Australians and the French crew. They met in a semi-final where the Australians (with Burgess in the bow seat) pipped the French by 3/100ths of a second. In the final the Australians led for much of the race. The French tried once to break through and failed, then a second time and failed and finally with a matter of metres to go broke through to win by less than half a second. Both races were superb and a highlight of

the regatta ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

. At

Athens 2004 Athens 2004 may refer to: * 2004 Summer Olympics * 2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the Internati ...

Burgess made his third and final

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

appearance in the Australian lightweight

, this time as stroke. Anthony Edwards in the two seat was also at his third Olympics and both were still looking for their first Olympic gold medal. The Danish crew however were favourites and they got away in the 1st 500m. Burgess brought the Australian crew back into contention in the second and third 500 metres. However the Danes still had something in reserve in the rush home extending their lead to 1.4 seconds at the finish.Athens Olympics at Guerin Foster
/ref> This would be Burgess' last international representative appearance and the end of a seventeen-year rowing career at the elite level.

Rowing palmares

Olympics

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, ...

LM4- stroke - sixth *

2000 Sydney 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 ...

LM4- bow - silver *

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

LM4- stroke - silver

World Championships

* 1990 Tasmania LM4x bow - bronze * 1991 Vienna LM4x bow - gold * 1992 Montreal LM1x - fifth * 1993 Roudnice LM4x stroke - seventh * 1994 Indianapolis LM4x stroke - fifth * 1997 Aiguebelette LM8+ six seat - gold * 1998 Cologne LM4- two seat - bronze * 1999 St. Catharines LM4- stroke - silver * 2002 Seville LM4- bow - fourth * 2003 Milan LM4- stroke - seventh

National Interstate Regatta

*1993 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - second *1994 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - third *1995 Interstate men's single scull (TAS) - fifth *1998 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - third *1999 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - first *2000 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - first *2001 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) three seat - first *2002 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - first *2003 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - first *2004 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) bow - first *2005 Interstate men's LM4- (TAS) stroke - first

References

External links

* *
rowinghistory-aus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgess, Simon 1967 births Living people Sportspeople from Tasmania Australian male rowers Sportsmen from Tasmania Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics 21st-century Australian sportsmen 20th-century Australian sportsmen