Caroline Frances Meyer (née Evers-Swindell, born 10 October 1978), is a New Zealand former rower. She competed in the double sculls with her identical twin sister Georgina Evers-Swindell. In November 2005 she and her sister were named ''Rowing Female Crew of the Year'' by the International Rowing Federation (FISA), and in 2016 they became the first New Zealanders to be awarded the federation's highest award, the Thomas Keller Medal.

Early life

She was born in Hastings, New Zealand, on 10 October 1978.

Career

The twins narrowly missed the qualification for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

; in the crucial race in

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

where they had to come second, they came third. In 2001, she won silver at the World Championships in both the double and quadruple sculls. Together with her sister she won gold at both the 2002 and 2003 World Rowing Championships in the double sculls. She also won, again with her sister, the 2004 Olympic gold medal. Caroline was coached by Dick Tonks and represented

Hamilton Rowing Club Hamilton Rowing Club is based in Hamilton, New Zealand. It was formed in 1903. Hamilton Rowing Club is the home club of Caroline Evers-Swindell and Georgina Evers-Swindell, 2004 Olympic champions in the double, and Fiona Patterson, 2004 World Ch ...

. In the

2005 New Year Honours New Year Honours were granted in the United Kingdom and New Zealand at the start of 2005. Among these in the UK were knighthoods awarded to Mike Tomlinson, the educationalist; Derek Wanless, who led a review of the National Health Service; and ...

, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rowing. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing, she and her sister won gold medals in the women's double sculls, beating the German pair by 1/100 of a second, 7:07.32 versus 7:07.33. This was the first time in history that the women's double scull title had successfully been defended. She and her sister announced their retirement from rowing in October 2008. In December 2008, she and her sister won the Lonsdale Cup which is awarded by the New Zealand Olympic Committee to the athlete/s who make the most outstanding contribution to an Olympic sport. They previously won the cup in 2003.

Personal life

In December 2009, Evers-Swindell married former Olympic rower Carl Meyer. She now styles herself Caroline Meyer.

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Evers-Swindell, Caroline 1978 births Living people New Zealand female rowers New Zealand twins Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in rowing Waldorf school alumni Sportspeople from Hastings, New Zealand Twin sportspeople Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand Thomas Keller Medal recipients