Michael John Hart

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(born 24 October 1951) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

former

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 ...

who competed in the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

and in the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

Rowing career

Hart was at Peterhouse, Cambridge and rowed in the winning

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

boat 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 ...

s in the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

and 1973 races, stroking the boat in 1973. In 1972, he partnered David Maxwell to finish eighth

rowing at the 1972 Summer Olympics Rowing at the 1972 Summer Olympics featured 7 events, all for men. It was the last time that rowing did not include women's disciplines at the Olympics. Participating nations A total of 440 rowers from 35 nations competed at the Munich: * (1 ...

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 ...

s event. In 1973 he teamed up with

Chris Baillieu Christopher Latham Baillieu MBE (born 12 December 1949) is an English former rower who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics and in the 1980 Summer Olympics representing Great Britain. He was the first chairman of British Swimming, from 2001 to ...

in the

double scull A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...

to win the

Double Sculls Challenge Cup The Double Sculls Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's double sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two clubs may combine to ma ...

at Henley Royal Regatta. Rowing for

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior t ...

, they won the event again in 1975 and in between he participated in the

1974 World Rowing Championships The 1974 World Rowing Championships was the fourth World Rowing Championships. It was held from 4 to 8 September 1974 (for men) and from 29 August to 1 September 1974 (for women) on the Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland. The event was significantl ...

in Lucerne, competing in the double sculls event with Bailleau, which resulted in winning a bronze medal. He was part of the double scull that won a bronze medal at the

1975 World Rowing Championships The 1975 World Rowing Championships was the fifth World Rowing Championships. It was held from 21 to 30 August at Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, England. Medal summary Medalists at the 1975 World Rowing Champio ...

in Nottingham. In the

Hart and Baillieu won a silver medal for double sculls and the same pair won a gold medal at the World Championships the following year. They won the Double Sculls Challenge Cup at Henley again in 1977 and 1978. He was awarded an MBE in the

1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours The 1977 Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours were announced on 11 June 1977 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee and Birthday in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Barbados, Mauritius, Fiji, the Bahamas, Grenada, and ...

. Nationally he won the

1974 British Rowing Championships The 1974 National Rowing Championships was the third edition of the National Championships, held from 20–21 July 1974 at the National Water Sports Centre in Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. There was a record entry of 330 crews. Leander won the ...

and 1975 British Rowing Championships double sculls for Leander with Chris Baillieu. He had won the coxed pairs at the inaugural National Championships in

with David Maxwell and Alan Inns, and their record time still stands as of 2020. Hart is an active member of

Dittons Skiff and Punting Club Dittons Skiff and Punting Club (DSPC or Dittons) is an English skiff and punting club, which was founded in 1923. It is based on the River Thames with a club and boat house at Thames Ditton on the reach above Teddington Lock. As well as taking p ...

and has won various punting championships and participated in several record breaking challenges.

Personal life

He married fellow national champion rower

Pauline Bird-Hart Pauline Bird-Hart (born 31 July 1957) is a British retired rower who competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics. Rowing career Bird married fellow national champion rower Michael Hart in late 1976, then competing as Pau ...

in late 1976. He later married Valerie Winckless, the mother of Olympic rowing medallist

Sarah Winckless Sarah Katharine Winckless (born 18 October 1973) is a British former rower. She won a bronze medal in Double sculls with her partner Elise Laverick at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and was twice world champion, in 2005 and 2006. Early life an ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Michael 1951 births Living people English male rowers Olympic rowers for Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in rowing Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Cambridge University Boat Club rowers Members of Leander Club Members of the Order of the British Empire World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain European Rowing Championships medalists

Rowing career

Personal life

See also

References

External links