Andrew Triggs Hodge (born 3 March 1979) is a British former rower - a three time Olympic champion and four time world champion. In the British coxless four in 2012 he set a world's best time which still stood as of 2021.

Education

Born in Halton, Buckinghamshire, he moved to Hebden near

Grassington Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedal ...

in 1980. He went to Burnsall Primary School in Burnsall then Upper Wharfedale School, a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...

in Threshfield. He then completed

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

South Craven School South Craven School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Cross Hills, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest school in the Craven District and carries over 1,700 pupils. The school has forme ...

, a secondary school near

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Ai ...

. Before studying Environmental Science at the Stoke campus of

Staffordshire University , mottoeng = Dare to know , type = Public , endowment = £70 million (2015) , administrative_staff = 1,375 , chancellor = Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford , vice_chancellor = Professor Martin Jones , ...

where he took up the sport of rowing with the Boat Club on

Rudyard Lake Rudyard Lake is a reservoir in Rudyard, Staffordshire, located north-west of the town of Leek, Staffordshire. It was constructed in the late 18th century to feed the Caldon Canal. During the 19th century, it was a popular destination for day ...

and

St Catherine's College, Oxford St Catherine's College (colloquially called St Catz or Catz) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is the newest college admitting both undergraduate and graduate students. Tracing its roots back to 1868 (although t ...

where he undertook an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management.

Rowing career

Boat Race

Whilst at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

, Hodge was a member of

Oxford University Boat Club Oxford University Boat Club (OUBC) is the rowing club for male, heavyweight oarsman of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century. The Boat Race The club races agai ...

and took part in

the Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

in 2005. Both universities had extremely strong intakes that year, with Cambridge boasting several world champions and the Oxford crew including 2004 Olympic silver medallist Barney Williams and eventual Beijing and London coxless four crewmate

Pete Reed Peter K. Reed OBE (born 27 July 1981) is a retired British Olympic rower. Reed is a three-times Olympic gold medallist – earning gold in the Men's coxless four at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and then a gold medal in the Men's eight at the 2 ...

. Oxford, stroked by Hodge, won the epic contest by 2 lengths in a time of 16 minutes 42 seconds.

International

Hodge won his first senior international vest in 2002. He sat in the four seat of the

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

Eight, which made the final of the World Rowing Championships in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. He occupied the same seat a year later when the Eight won the World Cup event at Lucerne, and a bronze medal at the championships in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. 2004 was the year that Hodge entered the British rowing scene. The buildup to the Athens 2004 Olympics for the GB Men's Rowing Squad was somewhat disrupted due to illness, injury and variable form. Hodge and his partner

Alex Partridge Alexander Matthew Partridge (born 25 January 1981 in San Francisco) is a British rower, and an Olympic silver and bronze medallist. Education Partridge started rowing at Monkton Combe School, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University to s ...

then won the final selection trials. Partridge was promoted to Britain's top boat until sidelined by injury, Hodge remained in the eight. Illness to the Eight's stroke – Tom James – the night before their Heat in the Olympic competition was a particular blow, and whilst James returned for the repechage, the crew failed to make the final, finishing 9th overall. Having stroked Oxford to victory in the 2005 Boat Race, Hodge returned to international competition. Following the retirement of

Matthew Pinsent Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals. Since retiring, he has worked as a sports br ...

James Cracknell James Edward Cracknell, (born 5 May 1972) is a British athlete, rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist. Cracknell was appointed OBE for "services to sport" in the 2005 New Year Honours List. Biography Cracknell began rowing whilst ...

and

Ed Coode Edward Coode, MBE (born 19 June 1975) is a British rower, twice World Champion and Olympic Gold medalist. Early life Born in Cornwall in 1975, Coode boarded at Papplewick School and Eton College. He studied marine biology at University of N ...

, a new coxless four was formed with Andrew, his Oxford crewmate

and Olympic Champion Steve Williams. Hodge went on to win gold with this crew ( Tom James was promoted in place of Alex Partridge) at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, defending Great Britain's title in the event. Post-Olympics Hodge and Reed decided to attempt a pair project with a view to competing at the

London 2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in that event. Unfortunately due to the emergence of the New Zealand pair of Eric Murray and

Hamish Bond Hamish Bryon Bond (born 13 February 1986) is a retired New Zealand rower and former road cyclist. He is a three-time Olympic gold medallist at the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and at the 2020 Tokyo Olymp ...

(future world best time holders and Olympic champions) the likelihood of a gold medal in the event was unlikely and so the pair were moved back into the coxless four in 2012 to strengthen that boat's chances. The crew of Hodge, Reed, Tom James and Alex Gregory went on to win the gold medal at the Olympic rowing regatta and beat their Australian rivals who had pushed them hard through the season. Hodge was world champion in the men's eight and four during 2013 and 2014 respectively. After being diagnosed with

glandular fever In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). Structure De ...

during 2015, Hodge was forced to miss the entire racing season. He began his comeback in the autumn of 2015 and was selected to represent Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the men's eight. After an inconsistent season, the British eight won Olympic gold on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio over

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He announced his retirement after the Olympics. Gold postbox for Andrew Triggs Hodge in Hebden

Other

Hodge has been a member of

Molesey Boat Club Molesey Boat Club is a rowing club between Molesey Lock and Sunbury Lock on the River Thames in England. The club was founded in 1866 where its boathouse stands with hardstanding next to the Thames Path. Molesey has been the organising or su ...

since 2000 when he moved to London. Just hours after winning the 2005 World Cup event at

Dorney Lake Dorney Lake (also known as Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a 2012 Summer Olympics venue) is a purpose-built rowing lake in England. It is near the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of Wi ...

, Eton, Hodge made a guest appearance in St Catherine's College 1st VIII, who were competing in

Summer Eights Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main intercollegiate rowing event of the year. The regatta takes place in May of each year, from the Wednesday to the ...

. He was joined in that crew by fellow international competitors

Christopher Liwski Christopher Donald Liwski (born April 21, 1980) is a Canadian American rower, a six-time U.S. National Team member, a double world championship medal winner, and a two-time member of the United States Olympic Rowing Team. Career Earl ...

and Colin Smith. The crew bumped

Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

that day. Hodge was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to rowing.

Achievements

Olympics

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

– Gold, Eight (three) *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

– Gold, coxless four (stroke) *

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

– Gold, coxless four (stroke) * 2004

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

– 9th, Eight (four)

World championships

*2014

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

– Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2013 Chungju – Gold, Eight (six) *2011

Bled Bled (; german: Veldes,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 146. in older sources also ''Feldes'') is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper C ...

– Silver, Coxless Pair (stroke) *2010 Karapiro – Silver, Coxless Pair (stroke) *2009

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

– Silver, Coxless Pair (stroke) *2007

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

– 4th, Coxless Four (stroke) *2006 Eton – Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2005 Gifu – Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2003

– Bronze, Eight (four) *2002

– 6th, Eight (four)

World Cups

*2013

Eton Dorney Dorney Lake (also known as Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a 2012 Summer Olympics venue) is a purpose-built rowing lake in England. It is near the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of ...

– Gold, Eight (Stroke) *2013 Sydney – Gold, Eight (Stroke) *2012 Belgrade – Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2011 Lucerne – Silver, Coxless Pair (stroke) *2011

– Gold, Coxless Pair (stroke) *2009

Banyoles Banyoles () is a city of 20,168 inhabitants (2021) located in the province of Girona in northeastern Catalonia, Spain. The town is the capital of the Catalan ''comarca'' " Pla de l'Estany". Although an established industrial centre many of th ...

– Gold, Coxless Pair (stroke) *2008

– Silver, Coxless Four (stroke) *2008

– Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2007 Lucerne – Silver, Coxless Four (stroke) *2007

– Gold, Eight (six) *2007

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

– Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2006 Lucerne – Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2006

– Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2006

– Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2005 Lucerne – Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2005

– Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2005 Eton – Gold, Coxless Four (stroke) *2004 Lucerne – 6th, Eight (four) *2004

– 4th, Eight (four) *2004

– 5th, Eight (four) *2003

– Bronze, Eight (four) *2003 Lucerne – Gold, Eight (four) *2003

– Bronze, Eight (four) *2002

– 6th, Eight (four) *2002 Lucerne – 6th, Eight (four)

World Rowing Under 23 championships

*2001 – 6th, Coxed Four

GB Rowing Senior Trials

*2010–2012 – 1st, Coxless Pair *2004–2008 – 1st, Coxless Pair

Personal life

Hodge is married to Dutch physician and former international rower Eeke Thomee. They have two children.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Triggs Hodge, Andrew 1979 births Living people Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Alumni of Staffordshire University English male rowers English Olympic medallists Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic rowers of Great Britain Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain People from Craven District Sportspeople from Yorkshire Oxford University Boat Club rowers Officers of the Order of the British Empire European Rowing Championships medalists