Manson back on the water
The fastest single sculler in rowing history is back on the water, 16 months out from the Paris Olympics.
Robbie Manson has been named as part of the Rowing New Zealand elite training squad as the athletes seek a place in the team for this year’s world championships in Belgrade in September.
Manson took an indefinite break from the sport in October 2020 after the Tokyo Olympics had been postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
He was a close third in the men’s single scull final at the national championships at Lake Ruataniwha in February on his return, won the double sculls and quad with his Waikato crewmates and was part of the Waikato eight which collected silver.
A four-time winner of the national men’s single scull title, Manson won gold at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II in Poznan, Poland, setting a new world-best time of 6:30.74, which has not been bettered.
However, he was unable to replicate his early season form into success at world championships, finishing fifth in 2017 and 2018.
He was part of the quad which finished seventh at the 2012 London Olympics and was 11th in the double sculls with Chris Harris at Rio 2016. Manson was expected to be back with Harris in the boat for New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympics before it was postponed.
The 33-year-old has been named in the men’s sculling group to trial in June, along with Jordan Parry – who represented New Zealand in the single scull at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and was fourth at last year’s world champs – and Tom Murray, a gold medalist in the eight at Tokyo.