Name Ian Wright Role Olympic athlete | Height 1.89 m | |
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Interview with ian wright men s head coach
Ian Andrew Wright (born 9 December 1961) is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Wright has won 31 national titles during his career. After his rowing career ended, he became a coach and his Swiss lightweight men's four team won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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Rowing career
Wright was born in 1961 in Wanganui, New Zealand. He moved to Hamilton and became a member of the Hamilton Rowing Club. He had Harry Mahon as his rowing coach.
Wright won two medals at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. He won silver with Barrie Mabbott in the coxless pair and bronze in the eight. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, Wright won bronze in the coxed four along with George Keys, Greg Johnston, Chris White and Andrew Bird (cox).
At the 1989 World Rowing Championships at Bled, Yugoslavia, he won a bronze in the men's four with Bill Coventry, Alastair Mackintosh, and Campbell Clayton-Greene.
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Wright finished 11th in the coxed four. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, he came 13th in the coxless four.
During his career, he has won a total of 31 New Zealand titles with the coxed eight (12 titles), coxed four (7 titles), coxless four (7 titles), coxless pair (2 titles), and coxed pair (3 titles).
Coaching career
A teacher, Wright was involved in rowing coaching school and age-group at national level. He coached several Maadi Cup winning squads at both St Paul's Collegiate School and Hamilton Boys' High School. He is described as "intense" and speaks his mind, which does not sit well with some people. He is held in high regard by those who have been coached by him.
In late 2014, Wright was appointed head national coach of Switzerland. He has led the lightweight men's four to become the 2015 world champions. A year later, the same boat won Olympic gold at the Rio Olympics. He is now Australia's head rowing coach announced in September 2016.