Stephen Frederick Evans OAM (born 24 September 1962, in Sydney) is an Australian former national champion, world champion, dual Olympian and Olympic medal winning rower.

Club and state rowing

He was born in Sydney and his senior rowing was with the

Mosman Rowing Club Mosman Rowing Club is an all-level competitive and recreational Rowing (sport), rowing club on the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore of Sydney. Since 2007 the club's facilities have been wholly located at The Spit, New South Wales, The Spit in S ...

where his father Bruce Evans was an accomplished coach. Evans was first selected to represent New South Wales in the 1979 Trans Tasman Colts Series – a series of three match races between New Zealand and Australian U23 crews. Evans stroked a New South Wales lightweight four who lost all three races. Evans was selected to represent New South Wales in the men's Interstate Youth Eight Championship contesting the Noel F Wilkinson Trophy at the 1981

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 1982 he was again selected in the New South Wales youth eight and stroked that crew to victory. In 1983 Evans competed at the National Regatta in Mosman colours in a composite

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 ...

. He was selected and trained in the New South Wales

King's Cup King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King's Cup (Bahrain), the premier national knockout football tournament * King's ...

eight but pulled out on the day due to injury. In 1984 at the Australian Championships he stroked the New South Wales

crew to victory in the men's Interstate Eight-Oared Championship. He again stroked the New South Wales

eight in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. Evans won Australian national titles at the

in 1985 in a

coxed four A coxed four, abbreviated as a 4+, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...

; in 1986 in a

coxed pair A coxed pair, abbreviated as a 2+, is a racing shell used in the rowing (sport), sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat with sweep (rowing), sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain (rowing), coxswain (cox ...

(in Mosman colours with Craig Muller); and competed and placed in pairs and fours in 1987 and 1988.

International representative rowing

Evans first donned Australian colours as a ten year old coxswain steering an Australian women's coxed four in the first of a three race in Inter Dominion series against New Zealand in 1973. Evans' father Bruce coached the Australian women's four. Evans' first senior call up for Australia was to the Olympic squad for

Los Angeles 1984 The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly 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 ...

. The selected Australian eight was built around the national champion

coxed four that included Evans, Muller and Jim Battersby . Evans stroked the Australian eight to third place in the final winning bronze behind Canada and the USA. His first World Championship national representation was at the

1986 World Rowing Championships The 1986 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 17 to 24 August 1986 at Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Medal summary Looking at the open weight classes only, East Germany was the most successful nation ...

Nottingham, England Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham is the legendary home of Robin Hood and to the lace-maki ...

where stroked the Australian men's eight to victory. It was Australia's first and only World Championship title in the men's VIII. That same year at the

1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. This was the second Commonwealth Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largely African, Asian and Caribbe ...

in Edinburgh, that same crew with Evans at stroke won gold in the Australian men's VIII.1986 Commonwealth Games
/ref> At the

1987 World Rowing Championships The 1987 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 29 to 30 August 1987 in Copenhagen, Denmark while it was "outrageously windy". Medal summary Medalists at the 1987 World Rowing Championships were: Men's ...

in Copenhagen Evans stroked the Australian eight to a fourth place and he held his seat and role for the men's eight for the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

in Seoul. That crew placed fifth.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Stephen 1962 births Sportsmen from New South Wales Rowers from Sydney Australian male rowers Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rowing Living people World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists in rowing Rowers at the 1986 Commonwealth Games 20th-century Australian sportsmen Medallists at the 1986 Commonwealth Games