How do you define greatness? A mind-bending feat that surpasses expectation and rationality? A moment of authentic surprise that inverts the weight of pressing odds? Or perhaps an incision in the linear unfurling of your heart?
In sport, we are quick to anoint greatness upon each other. A performance that impresses us is often bestowed the virtue of greatness before it can even truly be understood. It is easy to attach brilliance onto bravery and boldness but sometimes the two should not be conflated. True greatness should combine mastery, magnanimity and more than a hint of magic.
The Olympic Games is our ultimate magic show. A procession of truly elite talent, operating at the pinnacle of their sport and thrust forward into a limelight fostered by four years of relative translucency. These two weeks are stitched into the very fabric of competition, dating back to the lore of Ancient Greece, and have transcended the politics of modern society to become the ultimate marker in sporting excellence. To win Olympic Gold gives you immortality of a rare and timeless specification – your story will be perpetuated forevermore, carried forward by the whispers of generations to come, who too aim to climb those sacred steps and join this club of champions. Emerging over the horizon, this time in the blue and red hue of palatial Paris, we are ready for the very fastest in rowing to be crowned.
Step forward, my friends – The Olympic Games have come.
The Stats
Country
New Zealand
Crew Names
Jackie Gowler
Phoebe Spoors
Davina Waddy
Kerri Williams
Average Age
30 years
Olympic Record
Fourth in the W8+ at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Gowler)
Second in the W8+ at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Gowler, Williams)
First in the W2- at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (Williams)
2024 Competitive Record
World Rowing Cup 1: N/A
World Rowing Cup 2: 4th (W4-)
World Rowing Cup 3: 1st (W4-)
European Championships: N/A
The Profile
The battle for the bronze is going to be intense, and I could’ve picked any one of three crews to fill this slot, but in the end I went for the Kiwis with the experienced Jackie Gowler and Kerri Williams onboard. They have both raced and won medals at the Olympics and that experience is going to be crucial. Williams is the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s pair and also won the world title in that boat class in 2019 and 2022. She took a break from international racing in 2023 but has returned this year to stroke a very potent coxless four. Gowler was world champion in the eight in 2019 and Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo. She was part of the four in 2023 with Waddy and Spoors that placed seventh at the world championships. This season, they started with a solid fourth at Lucerne and then took a convincing win at the final World Rowing Cup.
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