Rob Waddell

Rob Waddell
	; Rob Waddell
Medal record
Representing New Zealand
Men's Rowing
Olympic Games
World Championships

Robert "Rob" Norman Waddell, ONZM, (born 7 January 1975 in Te Kuiti) is a New Zealand rower, yachtsman and rugby union player. Waddell has one of the highest VO₂ max intake levels of any athlete ever tested. He holds the fastest 2000 metre indoor rowing machine time in the world, clocking a time of 5 mins 36.6 secs (5:36.6). He also holds the record for 5000m on the rowing machine with a time of 14:58. This made him the first person to go sub 15min for this distance [1]. In 2008 he made a comeback to rowing after leaving the sport after the 2000 Sydney Olympics in pursuit of a sailing career as a grinder. With 8 years out of the sport he broke the 2000m and 5000m on the rowing machine and defeated Mahé Drysdale, the then world champion in the single sculls, who was also a New Zealander. As it was an Olympic year and only one crew can be sent to the olympics in each boat class the stage was set for a battle to see who would fill the olympic single sculls spot. Despite Rob getting the better of Mahé Drysdale in the domestic regattas the selectors created a three-race trial to decide who would go. With the wins for each sculler tied at 1–1 it came down to a final race in which Mahe won. Rob was later selected into the double with the young Nathan Cohen. They finished a disappointing 4th at the olympics. Rob has now retired from rowing to take up sailing again, but looks as if he will make another comeback for the London olympics.[2]. In 1998, he married fellow rower Sonia Scown.