Mahe Drysdale

Mahe won the Single Sculls Gold Medal at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games as well as a Bronze in 2008.

He has also won 5 World Championships in Single Sculls

Mahe was born in Australia to NZ parents and grew up in Tauranga.  He rowed at school but gave it up for a while before returning to the sport, having been inspired by Rob Waddell winning gold at the 2000 Olympic Games.

He began competing at World Cup level in 2002, in the NZ coxless four. After the 2004 Olympic Games, in which his crew finished fifth in the final, Mahe switched to the single scull, winning the 2005 World Championship in Japan, despite having broken two vertebrae in a crash with a water skier earlier in the year.  He then went on to win the World Championships in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011 - making 5 in total.

On top of his Olympic and World Championship successes, Mahe has also won the Gold Medal six times in single sculls at the NZ National championships through 2010 and again in 2012.  

He won the 2006 Sportsman of the Year award and took out the supreme Halberg award. He was again voted Sportsman of the Year in 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2016, and is the only New Zealander to have won the award more than three times. He is the current world record holder in single sculls and was awarded Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rowing in the 2009 New Year Honours. 

Mahe is an inspirational athlete - winning back to back National, World Championship and Olympic titles and representing performance and endurance at its best.  His courage and humility have won him the hearts of many NZers.

He clearly displays the genuine traits of working hard to be the best you can do and overcoming obstacles that stand in your way.

Mahe offers a sense of confidence and stature that resonates with all manner of audience. He is a timeless athlete who is a great addition to any conference or event, with inspirational messages from his sporting success