WORLD ROWING ANNOUNCES THE 2015 THOMAS KELLER MEDAL WINNER

FISA, the World Rowing Federation, is delighted to announce that Slovenia’s Iztok Cop is the 2015 recipient of rowing’s most prestigious award; the Thomas Keller Medal.

The medal signifies an outstanding career in rowing and Cop was selected ahead of an impressive list of finalists that included Rossano Galtarossa (ITA), Rob Waddell (NZL), Greg Searle (GBR), Caryn Davies (USA) and Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell (NZL).

Slovenia’s Iztok Cop wins Keller Award

Cop spent more than two decades at the top of rowing and in that time became Slovenia’s most medalled rower. His remarkable career began when he became a junior World Champion, racing as part of the Yugoslavian rowing team. By the age of 19, Cop had already made the senior national team and raced to a silver medal at the 1991 World Rowing Championships in the men’s pair. This was a special moment for Cop as although he rowed for Yugoslavia, Slovenia had recently gained independence and hence Slovenia recognised this medal as their first World Championship medal.

Cop then went on to compete as part of Slovenia’s Olympic Team at the 1992 Olympic Games. Cop’s bronze medal in the men’s pair at these Games was the first ever Olympic medal for Slovenia. This propelled Cop into the limelight and helped encourage rowing in his country.

In 1995 Cop became a World Champion which was not only his first at a senior level but also a first for Slovenia – a world title in an Olympic sport. This time Cop did it in the men’s single sculls indicating his ease of switching boat classes. Cop then went through what he called a difficult period. He finished fourth three times. Cop, however, found his way back to the medals podium and in 1999, along with Luka Spik in the men’s double sculls, they took the World Championship title.

At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Cop and Spik became Olympic Champions. Once again this was a first for his country. Over the next few years of Cop’s career he moved between the single and the double winning World Championship medals and then taking silver in the double at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

At the 2005 World Rowing Championships Cop raced to silver in both the men’s double and men’s quadruple sculls. This achievement was recognised with Cop and Spik receiving the 2005 World Rowing Male Crew of the Year. Cop continued to compete through to London 2012 at the age of 40. At the London Olympics, Cop and Spik won bronze, capping off a fantastic career.

Thomas Keller Medal

Cop’s friend and competitor, Olympic Champion Olaf Tufte of Norway stated this about Cop, “Iztok is maybe the best rower and sculler I have ever met. He is not the biggest, or strongest, but he has the feeling of how to move the boat. He has a very hard fighting head.”

The Thomas Keller Medal will be presented to Cop on Saturday, 11 July 2015 during the World Rowing Cup finals in Lucerne, Switzerland. He will receive the medal from Dominik Keller, son of the late Thomas Keller, FISA’s former President, at a gala dinner

WORLD ROWING ANNOUNCES FINALISTS FOR 2015 THOMAS KELLER MEDAL

The 2015 finalists for the most prestigious medal awarded in rowing, the Thomas Keller Medal, have been decided by the World Rowing Federation, FISA.

Created in 1990, the Thomas Keller Medal award celebrates athletes who have had an outstanding career in rowing, have shown exemplary sportsmanship and technical mastery of the sport as well as symbolise a legendary aspect both in and outside of their rowing career. Following public nominations, the shortlist was decided by FISA’s council and commission members. These are, in alphabetical order:

Caroline (Meyer) and Georgina Evers-Swindell (Earl), New Zealand
Caryn Davies, United States
Greg Searle, Great Britain
Itzok Cop, Slovenia
Rob Waddell, New Zealand
Rossano Galtarossa, Italy

Thomas Keller Medal

SHORTLIST BIOS

Caroline (Meyer) and Georgina Evers-Swindell (Earl) – New Zealand

Identical twins Caroline and Georgina retired in 2008 as two-time Olympic Champions. At Beijing they successfully defended their title in the women’s double sculls. This was the first time in the history of Olympic rowing that the women’s double sculls title had been successfully defended. Their success began in 2002 with a World Champion title and, as the Evers-Swindell’s success continued to grow, they inspired many New Zealanders to start rowing.

Caryn Davies – United States

Caryn Davies is described as the epitome of the scholar-athlete. Having earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Harvard University in 2005 and a Doctor of Law from Columbia University in 2013 she also became an Olympic Champion twice and a four-time World Champion between 2002 and 2012. She has stroked the USA women’s eight repeatedly since its winning streak began in 2006 and helped the boat set two World Best Times. Now studying for an MBA at Oxford University, Great Britain, Davies recently stroked the women’s Oxford boat to victory in the 2015 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

Greg Searle – Great Britain

Between 1990 and 2000 Greg Searle raced at three Olympic Games and at seven World Rowing Championships. During this time he won two Olympic medals and five World Championship medals in a variety of sweep boat classes, from the eight to the four to the coxed pair, as well as in one sculling event, the men’s single sculls. Following a fourth-place finish in the men’s pair at the Sydney Games, Searle retired from the sport for nine years, only to come back and compete at the highest level of competition in his late thirties. Winning yet another two World Championship medals and one Olympic medal between the ages of 37 and 40, he put a final end to his rowing career at the London 2012 Olympic Games, 20 years after competing at his first Olympic Games in 1992.

Iztok Cop – Slovenia

Slovenian sporting legend Iztok Cop had a career that spanned more than two decades and included six Olympic Games and 16 World Rowing Championships. Cop’s success began as a junior when he rowed for Yugoslavia. He won two Junior World Championship titles, the first in 1989, then again in 1990.

At the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, Cop became the first Olympic medallist for the newly-independent Slovenia in the men’s pair. At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, he and partner Luka Spik became Olympic Champions in the men’s double sculls. This partnership continued through the next three Olympic Games with Cop adding silver and bronze to his Olympic collection. Of the 12 World Championship medals that Cop won, four were gold.

Rob Waddell – New Zealand

Rob Waddell was a successful single sculler who won Olympic gold in 2000 and two World Championship golds in 1998 and 1999 while having a heart condition. Waddell was been named Chef de Mission for the New Zealand Teams for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and also has the role for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Rob is currently a senior member of New Zealand’s Americas Cup sailing team.

Rossano Galtarossa – Italy

Rossano Galtarossa had a rowing career that began in 1989 as a junior and finished in 2012. During this time he competed at ten World Rowing Championships (medalling eight times and becoming a World Champion four times), and at five Olympic Games (winning four Olympic medals including one gold). In 2012, at the age of 41, he was the spare rower at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Since November 2012 Galtarossa has been a member of the Italian Rowing Federation Board.

The winner will be announced in July at the 2015 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland. During the award ceremony, an 18-carat gold medal will be bestowed by Dominik Keller, the son of FISA’s former president Thomas Keller, to the winner.

For a full list of winners, please click here. http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/thomas-keller-medal