Marlborough’s Olympic Gold Medallist Traded Rugby For Rowing

For someone who took up rowing to help his rugby, Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Tom Murray has sure gone to some extraordinary lengths in the process.

“It was the belief that rowing would be beneficial for my rugby career that got me started. Rowing did to me what it does to so many others – it totally controlled my life from then on. I would be leaving home in the dark and arriving back in the dark,” said Tom at a civic award ceremony in Blenheim yesterday.

The former Marlborough Boys’ College student was part of the New Zealand men’s eight who held off Germany and Great Britain to win the coveted rowing title at the Olympics earlier this year. New Zealand had not won Olympic gold in this event since the Munich Olympics in 1972.

“Race time 5 minutes and 25 seconds; preparation a decade. What goes through your mind 30 seconds before such a race?” asked Marlborough’s Mayor John Leggett at the function held for Tom at Marlborough Boys’ College, hosted in conjunction with the Blenheim Rowing Club.

The event was attended by family, friends and members of the rowing fraternity including a number of Marlborough’s young up and coming rowers.

“We all shared in the great excitement watching your victory - most of all, your friends and family - and I know your fellow Marlburians were absolutely thrilled with your achievement. A Marlborough man on the world stage, nailing it – from repêchage to gold medal,” said Mayor Leggett.

“For you, and the crew, to go out and win gold for Aotearoa NZ was brilliant. We acknowledge how important that win was to our whole squad – to all the other Kiwi competitors.”

“And during this global Covid climate – it was a huge boost to national morale and an inspiration for those of us watching and cheering you on from home,” he said. “You put Marlborough’s name right up there on the sporting map with that race.”

Blenheim Rowing Club stalwart Bill Campbell said Tom had been identified in 2009 as a 15 year old while at the boys’ college – Bill was head coach at the time. “We managed to get him to the river by saying it was good for his rugby. He was a natural from the start,” he said. “Tom is a very humble and worthy champion who has not finished yet.”

Tom’s Olympic gold medal is a first for the Blenheim Rowing Club who bestowed a life membership on him at the ceremony.

Accepting the civic award and life membership, Tom said it was a huge privilege to be able to come back to Marlborough and to his old school to share the achievement. He thanked his primary sponsors – his parents – as well as the local people and businesses that had also supported him.

“To the people of Blenheim, close family, wider family and friends – I would not have been here without you.”

Marlborough Boys' College principal John Kendal thanked Tom for returning to the college to inspire other students.

And what did Tom think about in the minutes before the gold medal winning race?

He said, given the heat was in the 40s, it was “a moment that seemed to stretch on and on” but running through the race plan and being afraid of dropping the oar were in his thoughts.

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