Erik Horrie Explained

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Erik Horrie
Nationality:Australian
Birth Date:17 October 1979
Country:Australia
Sport:Rowing
Club:Sydney Rowing Club

Erik Horrie (born 17 October 1979) is an Australian wheelchair basketball player and a five-time world champion rower. He was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team. Switching to rowing in 2011, he made an immediate impact in the sport, first winning the NSW State Rowing Championships and then the National Rowing Championships in Adelaide. He has won silver medals at the 2012, 2016, 2020 Summer Paralympics and gold medals at the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 World Rowing Championships.[1] [2] Horrie has selected for the 2024 Paris Paralympics - his fourth Games.[3]

Personal

Horrie was born on 17 October 1979[4] in New Zealand.[5] [6] At the age of seven, he was made a ward of the state due to domestic violence in his home and subsequently spent most of his childhood in foster care homes.[7] In 2001, he was in a motor vehicle accident that left him a paraplegic., he lives in Penrith, New South Wales. In studying youth work, Horrie said "I want to help underprivileged kids because I can relate to what they may be going through. I’m not saying I understand, but hopefully use my experiences to show them they have a choice."[7]

Horrie is married to Michelle and they have three children.[7]

Sporting career

Basketball

Horrie was classified as a 4 point player.[8] He played in Australia's National Wheelchair Basketball League's Brisbane Spinning Bullets.[8]

He was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team. He attempted to make the team for the 2008 Summer Paralympics but did not get selected[9] for the national team until 2009 when he played in the 2009 IBWF AOZ Oceania Championship and the 2009 Rollers World Challenge.[8] Following that, he left the sport.[9]

Rowing

Horrie is classified as an AS rower and is a member of the Dragon Rowing Club.[10] [9] He switched to rowing in 2011 following the 2008 Summer Paralympics after having been identified by a selector from Rowing Australia.[9] In 2011, he did water training Breakfast Creek and off-water training at West End, Queensland.[9] The year, he had a scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport.[11]

In 2011, he finished first at the New South Wales State Championship.[9] At the 2011 National Rowing Championships in Adelaide, he finished first.[10] In April 2011, he participated in a national team training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport.[10] In the arms, shoulders men's single scull event at the 2011 World Championships in Bled, Slovenia, he finished third.[5] [6] He competed in the 2012 World Rowing Cup 3 event in Germany.[12] He represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and he won a silver medal in the Men's Single Sculls – ASM1x.[13] [14] [15] [16]

At the 2013 World Championships in Chungju, Korea, he won a gold medal in the Men's Single Sculls – ASM1x.[17] He was coached by Jason Baker. He won back to back gold medals by winning the Men's Single Sculls – ASM1x at the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[18]

Horrie won his third consecutive Men's Single Sculls – ASM1x title at the 2015 World Championships in Aiguebelette, France.[19]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he won the silver medal in the Men's Single Sculls – ASM1x. This repeated his result at the London Olympics.

Horrie won his four world championships title in winning the gold medal in the Men's PR1M1x at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida. Horrie won the first PR1 M1x World Championship title raced over 2000 m and, but also set a new world's best time after crossing the line in a time of 9 minutes 39 seconds.[20]

At the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he won his fifth consecutive title in the Men's PR1 Men's Single Scull and broke his own World's Best Time, crossing the line in a time of 9 minutes 16.90 seconds, some 8 seconds faster than his previous World Record.[21] Horrie won the bronze medal in the Men's PR1 Men's Single Scull at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria. After the race, Horrie said 'It just wasn't my day, but I'm happy to come away with the medal considering the season I’ve had coming back from injury.'[22]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Horrie won his third Paralympic silver medal by finishing second in the Men's Single Sculls, with a time of 10:00.82.[23]

Horrie finished fourth in the Men's PR1 Men's Single Scull at the 2022 World Rowing Championships. Horrie competed at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and made the final Men's PR1 Men's Single Scull by did not start.

Paratriathlon

In 2013, he competed in the first ever paratriathlon held in Australia.[24]

He placed 2nd of 8 male handcycle/wheelchair athletes in the OTU Paratriathlon Oceania Championships in 2014.[25]

Recognition

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Australian Paralympic Rowers to turn silver into gold. Australian Paralympic Committee News. 11 July 2016. 11 July 2016.
  2. Web site: 12 July 2021. Para-Rowers Overcome Adversity To Secure Tokyo Berth. 12 July 2021. Paralympics Australia.
  3. Web site: 2024-07-01 . ‘Trust In Ourselves’: Paralympic Rowers Target Breakthrough Gold Paralympics Australia . 2024-07-02 . www.paralympic.org.au . en-AU.
  4. Web site: Athlete profile: Erik Horrie . Rowing Australia . 9 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130924230149/http://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/hp_athletes_profiles_horrie-e.shtm . 24 September 2013 . dead.
  5. News: 17 July 2012. Two more Aussie boats qualify for Olympics. AAP News. Australia. 2 September 2011.
  6. News: 17 July 2012. Australian win at rowing world champs. AAP News . Australia. 2 September 2011.
  7. News: Logue. Matt. Paralympic rower Erik Horrie takes positives out of everything life throws at him. 3 July 2016. Daily Telegraph. 2 July 2016.
  8. Web site: Basketball Australia : Erik Horrie . Basketball Australia . 17 July 2012.
  9. News: 17 July 2012. High hopes for Horrie. City North News . Brisbane, Australia. 24 February 2011. Michael. Whiting. 11.
  10. News: 17 July 2012. Sports extra with Michael Whiting. City North News . Brisbane, Australia. 17 March 2011 . 55. Michael. Whiting.
  11. News: 17 July 2012. OLYMPIC HOPEFULS. Canberra Times . Canberra, Australia. 26 November 2011.
  12. Web site: Erik Horrie of Australia Competes in the Adaptive Events... News Photo . Getty Images AU . 14 June 2012 . 17 July 2012.
  13. Web site: Erik Horrie . Australian Paralympic Committee . Australia . 2012 . 13 July 2012.
  14. News: 17 July 2012. WEEKEND SCOREBOARD. The Australian. Australia. 2 April 2012.
  15. News: 17 July 2012. 2012 Australian Rowing Team. AAP News . Australia. 1 April 2012.
  16. News: 17 July 2012. WEEKEND SCOREBOARD. The Australian. Australia. 2 April 2012. 32.
  17. News: Golden Day for Australian Crews. Rowing Australia News. 28 August 2013. 29 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130910120537/https://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/news_latest-news.shtm. 10 September 2013.
  18. Web site: Two golds for Australian rowing at the World champs. Sportsfan, 28 August 2014. 28 August 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140831212717/http://www.sportsfan.com.au/two-golds-for-aust-at-rowing-world-champs/tabid/91/newsid/141949/default.aspx. 31 August 2014.
  19. Web site: Horrie, Ross and Bellis crowned champions three years in a row. Australian Paralympic Committee News. 3 September 2015. 4 September 2015.
  20. Web site: Golden day for Erik Horrie in Sarasota. Rowing Australia website. October 2017. 1 October 2017. 1 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171101202834/http://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/2017/10/02/golden-day-for-erik-horrie-in-sarasota/. dead.
  21. Web site: Horrie claims his fifth World Rowing Championships title . Rowing Australia website . 16 September 2018 . 16 September 2018 . 17 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180917041511/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2018/09/16/horrie-claims-his-fifth-world-rowing-championships-title/ . dead .
  22. Web site: Silver lining for Women's Eight in Austria. 2 September 2019. Rowing Australia. 2 September 2019. 2 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190902100916/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2019/09/02/silver-lining-for-womens-eight-in-austria/. dead.
  23. Web site: Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021 . 2022-06-30 . The Roar . en-US.
  24. Web site: Erik Horrie . Australian Paralympic Committee . Australia . 2013 . 29 August 2013.
  25. Web site: Results: Women's PT3 - 2014 Penrith OTU Paratriathlon Oceania Championships - Triathlon.org. International Triathlon. Union.
  26. Web site: World Rowing announces 2014 Award winners. World Rowing News, 7 November 2014. 20 November 2014.
  27. Web site: rik Horrie crowned Para-rower of the Year at the Hancock Prospecting 2018 Rower of the Year Awards . Rowing Australia website . 3 November 2018 . 4 November 2018 . 4 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181104130201/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2018/11/03/five-time-world-rowing-champion-erik-horrie-crowned-para-rower-of-the-year-at-the-hancock-prospecting-2018-rower-of-the-year-awards/ . dead .
  28. Web site: Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division (F-L). 26 January 2020. Governor-General of Australia website. 4 February 2020.
  29. Web site: 12 March 2022 . Tokyo 2020 Medallists Shine Bright at Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards . 4 April 2022 . Rowing Australia.
  30. Web site: 4 December 2022 . Successes From Across the Sport Celebrated at the 2022 Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards . 5 December 2022 . Rowing Australia.