Jonathan "Jonny" William C. Searle (born 8 May 1969) is a British
rower
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...
and business man. Along with his brother
Gregory, and coxswain
Garry Herbert, Searle won the gold medal in the
coxed pair
A coxed pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain.
The crew consists of two rowers, each having one oar, and a cox. One row ...
event at the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
in Barcelona.
Early life and education
Searle was born in
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...
,
Surrey. He was educated at
Hampton School
Hampton School (formerly Hampton Grammar School) is an independent boys' day school in Hampton, Greater London, England. It is regarded as one of the top independent schools in the country. Hampton School’s A-Level and GCSE results in 2021 ...
and
Christ Church, Oxford.
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 ...
, he competed in the
Boat Race
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
in 1988, 1989, and 1990. Oxford triumphed in all three races. Searle was President of the
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 ...
in the 1989–1990 academic year.
Career
Searle is an
Olympic gold medalist
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...
, winning the coxed pairs event at the
1992 Barcelona Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
with his brother
Greg Searle
Gregory Mark Pascoe Searle (born 20 March 1972) is a British Olympic rower educated at Hampton School and London South Bank University.
Career
Greg Searle is an Olympic gold medalist, winning the coxed pairs event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic ...
. He also won a World Championships gold medal in 1993. In the
1996 Atlanta Olympics, he finished third in the
coxless four
A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain.
The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oar. There are two rowers on t ...
event.
He is a steward of
Henley Royal Regatta.
Personal life
Searle has two sons, Kit and Jake.
He still trains at
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 ...
.
References
*
1969 births
Living people
English male rowers
English Olympic medallists
People educated at Hampton School
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Olympic rowers of Great Britain
Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta
Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Oxford University Boat Club rowers
Olympic medalists in rowing
World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
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