Grobler makes ‘difficult decision’ to quit 11 months short of the Olympics

The greats of British Rowing queued up to pay tribute to Jurgen Grobler after he announced his resignation as the country’s head coach.

Sir Matthew Pinsent, who won four Olympic golds under his instruction, said: “I mark it as a privilege to have had him guide my career.” Dame Katherine Grainger, Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, said: “His ability to create successful crews year after year, decade after decade, is practically unparalleled.”

Moe Sbihi, who won gold under Grobler in Rio last summer and expects to be in Tokyo in 2021, described him as “the Sir Alex Ferguson of rowing.”

Grobler’s achievements were remarkable, his coaching expertise with Britain alone producing 20 Olympic champions, and 33 gold medals across eight British teams.

His departure, 11 months out from the rearranged Games, leaves a big hole to fill. At 74 years old, he had always intended this summer’s Games in Tokyo to be his swansong. After the pandemic delayed things until July 2021, initially he suggested he would stay another 12 months. But, as the teams returned to full-time training after their summer break this week, he announced his decision to go immediately.

After first letting each of his team know in a series of individual phone calls, Grobler revealed that he had come to the conclusion staying on for another year would disturb British Rowing’s long-term planning.

“I have had the most incredible experience with the GB Rowing Team, working with fantastic British athletes for nearly three decades,” he said. “This has been a hard and difficult decision, but British Rowing has big plans for Paris 2024, and we want to organise it now to give the GB Rowing Team the best chance of success.”

Interestingly, he revealed in a separate interview yesterday how “it was not a choice”, adding of British Rowing’s plans for 2024 and the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028: “I can’t commit myself for four years.” Grobler began his coaching career in East Germany. When the Berlin Wall fell, he made his way to England and, in 1991, he was appointed to a coaching position with British Rowing.

Since then, he has guided the careers of some of Great Britain’s

greatest Olympic champions, including Sir Steve Redgrave, Pinsent, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge. As well as helping Britain win gold at every Games since 1992, he has achieved medals at every Olympics since 1972, except for Los Angeles 1984, which East Germany boycotted.

Coming so close to the new date for the rearranged Games in Tokyo, yesterday’s decision was greeted with surprise, not least by his athletes.

“It came completely out of the blue,” said Sbihi, who is expected to be in the GB eight next summer. “We were all looking forward to getting ready for next August with Jurgen in charge.”

For Sbihi, his decision to leave marked the end of an era. “He was the Sir Alex Ferguson of rowing, he was that good,” Sbihi said.

“He had the ability to make you believe in yourself. When your back was to the wall, he made you believe you were a winner.

“The way he empowered athletes was remarkable. He may not have been the most technical of coaches, he may not have been the most personable, but when you put all his attributes together they amounted to the perfect coach.

“And what he achieved was incredible. You could say that Team GB has long relied on the medals he has delivered. To be part of that legacy is a privilege.”