Gearoid Towey (born 26 March 1977 in

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dái ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Olympic athlete, former world champion in rowing, and trans-Atlantic rower. He competed at three Olympics – Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. Towey, along with Ciaran Lewis, attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 2005 in a 23 ft rowing boat. After 40 days at sea, having endured two tropical storms and a hurricane on the way, their boat was pitch poled by a 10-meter wave, leaving the men adrift 900 miles from landfall. They were rescued in the middle of a force 9 storm at night by the supertanker "Hispania Spirit". He lives in Sydney Australia and is the founder of Crossing the Line Sport – an organisation dedicated to athlete mental health and transition out of sport. He is a regular speaker on the topic of transition, especially the transition from elite athlete to the next phase of life.

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* Irish male rowers Olympic rowers for Ireland 1977 births Living people Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Ireland People educated at St Colman's College, Fermoy 21st-century Irish people Sportspeople from Fermoy {{Ireland-rowing-bio-stub