THE SPORT OF ROWING The Oarsman New Zealand Men’s Eight 1971 World Champion, Bagsværd Sø Bow Gary Robertson 6’1” 185cm 203lb. 92kg, 2 Trevor Coker 6’4” 192cm 192lb. 87kg, 3 Athol Earl 6’5” 196cm 209lb. 95kg, 4 Lindsay Wilson 6’6” 197cm 201lb. 91kg, 5 John Hunter 6’5” 196cm 212lb. 96kg, 6 Dick Joyce 6’4” 194cm 196lb. 89kg, 7 Wybo Veldman 6’2” 188cm 196lb. 89kg, Stroke Tony Hurt 6’0” 183cm 181lb. 82kg, Coxswain Simon Dickie thwarted in its first attempt at Gold in the Olympic Eights. In fact, in the thirteen Olympics since 1956, at least six have been won by teams rebounding from a crushing defeat in the previous Games.5641 Munich Quadrennial Mexico City was the end of the line for many of that generation of New Zealand oarsmen. All five veterans of the Tokyo Games retired from international competition after Xochimilco. Only two members of the defeated ‘68 Eight would make it to Munich, where their hard work would finally pay off. From adversity comes strength of purpose. Coach Rusty Robertson and several members of the 1968 New Zealand team, especially the Coxed-Four, returned to help replace the memory of the Eight’s defeat in Mexico with the dream of success in Munich. But this was not an easy time for Rusty Robertson. His marriage and his contracting business in Oamaru had not survived his 5641 1964 USA, 1968 FRG, 1972 NZL, 1976 GDR, 2004 USA, 2008 CAN. long absences in Christchurch and overseas. The NZARA and the local Canterbury Rowing Association in Christchurch did all they could, providing a house and job for Rusty and jobs for the athletes, but after a fourth place in the coxed-fours and Bronze in the eights in 1970, The New Zealand Rowing Council was becoming impatient. Renaut: “Somehow the now tenuous relationship between Rusty and the Council survived, and the Rothmans Sports Foundation saved the day. They contracted to employ Rusty for five years, during which time he would be free to coach full-time under the title Rothmans National Rowing Coach. This enabled a fresh start to be made with immediate success.”5642 In 1971 came international wins in Duisburg, West Germany and Klagenfurt, Austria, culminating at the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark with a spectacular Gold in the eights over GDR and USSR, and by a fourth in the coxed-fours behind FRG, GDR and URS. Averaging nearly 24 years old, 6’3” 191cm 198lb. 90kg, the 1971 Eight had stats similar to its 1968 predecessor. 5642 Renaut, op. cit., p. 2 1552
