Seán Drea Explained

Birth Date:1947 3, df=y
Birth Place:Bagnalstown, Ireland
Height:1.9m (06.2feet)
Weight:98kg (216lb)
Sport:Rowing
Club:Neptune Rowing Club, Dublin
Show-Medals:yes
Headercolor:lightsteelblue

Seán Joseph Drea (born 3 March 1947[1]) is a former Olympic rower and world record holder from Ireland, specialising in the single scull. He won the Diamond Challenge Sculls (the premier singles sculls event) three years in a row at the Henley Royal Regatta, where he set the course record, and was the first Irish rower to win a World Championship medal securing silver in the 1975 World Championships.[2]

Biography

Drea lives in Greystones,[3] and is originally from Bagenalstown, County Carlow. He tried many sports before joining Neptune Rowing Club after moving to Dublin to work in advertising. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he attended St. Joseph's University on a scholarship and also rowed for Vesper Boat Club. He lost to Aleksandr Timoshinin in the final of the 1972 Diamond Sculls when the steering fin broke off his boat. At the 1972 Olympics, he came seventh. In 1974, he won the U.S. national championships,[4] and was the favorite for the World Championships in Rotsee;[5] however he withdrew for an emergency kidney stone removal.[6] [7] [8] At the 1975 World Championships, he finished second to Peter-Michael Kolbe. At the 1976 Olympics, he broke the 2000 m world record in the semi-final with a time of 6:52.46. However, he finished fourth in the final after a poor third quarter.

Drea spent years in Philadelphia as a coach for Fairmount Rowing Association, La Salle University and the US national team,[9] and rowed in the Head of the River Race in 1997 with a veteran Schuylkill Navy crew.[10] Today, Drea lives in Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland and runs an organic farming business.

Sean's son Jack Drea rowed for Oxford Brookes University[11] and won the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2006 and competed in the Ladies Challenge Plate in a Oxford Brookes & Oxford University composite in 2007. Jack also represented Ireland in rowing.

Sean’s eldest son David Drea rowed for Trinity College Dublin.

Record

Year Event Place Ref
1970 Henley QF [12]
1970 Worlds 12 [13]
1972 Henley 2 [14]
1972 Olympics 7
1973 Henley 1 [15]
1974 Henley 1
1975 Henley 1
1975 Worlds 2
1976 Olympics 4

Notes and References

  1. Seán Drea . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418104611/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/dr/sean-drea-1.html . dead . 18 April 2020 . 23 February 2010.
  2. Web site: Rudern – Weltmeisterschaften. Einer – Herren . Rowing – World Championships. One – Men . German . Sport-Komplett.de . https://web.archive.org/web/20150106061407/http://www.sport-komplett.de/sport-komplett/sportarten/r/rudern/hst/77.html . 6 January 2015 .
  3. News: Sean Drea calls on Carlow stars to believe . 11 February 2009 . Carlow Nationalist . 25 February 2010.
  4. 26 August 1974 . A Roundup Of The Week Aug. 12–18 . Sports Illustrated .
  5. 16 September 1975 . A Roundup Of The Week Sept. 2–8 . Sports Illustrated .
  6. News: Olympic Evolution: Number 4 – Rowing . 14 August 2000 . Johnny . Watterson . The Irish Times . 25 February 2010.
  7. 8 September 1975 . ...but Not In Nottingham . Sports Illustrated .
  8. News: Surgery for Drea . 9 September 1974 . The Spokesman-Review . 25 . 25 February 2010 . Spokane, Washington.
  9. Web site: A Very Brief History of the Fairmount Rowing Association . Silverberg . Lee . 19 May 2008 . Fairmount Rowing Association . 6 January 2015.
  10. News: Rowing: Redgrave and Pinsent pair up . Matheson . Hugh . 22 March 1997 . The Independent . London . 25 February 2010.
  11. News: Rowing: Brookes boat beats Dublin as wind takes toll on crews . 1 July 2004 . Christopher . Dodd . The Independent . 25 February 2010.
  12. News: Penn, Dartmouth lose their races; English Crews Triumph in Grand Challenge Event Arlett Bows in Sculling . 3 July 1970 . New York Times . 25 February 2010 .
  13. News: World Rowing . New York Times . 6 September 1970 . 121 Sports . 25 February 2010.
  14. News: Harvard Lightweight Crew and Kent Eight Capture Cups at Henley Regatta; Drea is defeated in Diamond Sculls . New York Times . 2 July 1972 . S5 . 25 February 2010.
  15. News: East German Oarsmen Capture 5 of 8 World Titles at Regatta . Norman . Hildes-Heim . New York Times . 31 August 1975 . 168 . 25 February 2010 . ...Diamond sculls at the Henley Royal Regatta in July which Drea won for the third consecutive time.