Rosemary Popa
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Rosemary Popa (born 30 December 1991) is an Australian national champion
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 di ...
, Olympic gold medalist, and former rower for the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. A dual citizen of Australia and the United States, she has represented both countries at
World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the ...
, twice winning medals for Australia. She won the
Remenham Challenge Cup The Remenham Challenge Cup is a rowing event for women's eights at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to female crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine to ma ...
at the 2018
Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...
in the Australian women's eight. In 2021, she was selected to represent Australia 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 th ...
event at the delayed
2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
, where she won the gold medal.


Personal

Born in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
, both of Popa's parents were Australian Olympic medallists in rowing. Her father Ion Popa had rowed for Romania before defecting to Australia in 1978. He was a 1986 world champion, a dual Olympian and won bronze in the Australian men's eight at the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
. Rosemary's US born mother Susan Chapman won Australia's first Olympic medal in women's rowing – a bronze in the coxed four at
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.


Club and college rowing

Rosemary Popa was educated at
Caulfield Grammar School Caulfield Grammar School is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, International Baccalaureate, day school, day and boarding school, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1881 as ...
where she took up rowing. Her senior club rowing in Melbourne was from the Banks Rowing Club. Her father Ion had a long association with Banks Rowing club. Popa first made state selection for Victoria in the 2009 youth eight contesting the Bicentennial Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the
Australian Rowing Championships Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
. She rowed again in the Victorian youth eight in 2010. Popa won a scholarship to the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
and rowed for the
California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...
at the NCAA Championships in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 graduating with a degree in Sociology in 2014. She won the pair at the 2012 US U23 World Championships trials. She finished fourth in the varsity eight at the 2011
NCAA Championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
and finished fifth in the varsity eight at the 2012
NCAA Championships The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
. In 2011 she won gold in the UC varsity eight at the 2011 Pac-10 championships. Following her return to Australia, Popa was selected in the 2018 Victorian state women's senior eight to contest the Queen's Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the
Australian Rowing Championships Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
. She crewed that Victorian eight in its 2018 Queen's Cup victory. That year she also crewed a composite Australian selection eight who won the open women's coxed eight title at the
Australian Rowing Championships Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
and in a composite Australian selection four she won the 2018 open women's coxless four national title. In 2019 Popa was in the Victorian senior women's eight who were finally beaten in the Queen's Cup by New South Wales after a fourteen year Victorian hold. In 2021 she stroked the Victorian women's eight to a Queen's Cup victory.


International representative rowing


United States

Popa made her United States representative debut in a quad scull at the 2011
World Rowing U23 Championships World Rowing U23 Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic sur ...
in Amsterdam where she rowed to a seventh place. In 2012 she raced again for the US in a coxless pair at the
World Rowing U23 Championships World Rowing U23 Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic sur ...
in Trakai for an overall eighth-place finish. She contested the 2014 World Rowing Cup I in Sydney racing for the US in a coxless pair to seventh place.Popa USA at World Rowing
/ref>


Australia

Popa came into Australian selection contention in 2015. She was vying for a seat in the Australian women's eight and the coxless four. She raced in both boats at two
World Rowing Cup The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each even ...
s that year.Popa AUS at World Rowing
/ref> At the
2015 World Rowing Championships The 2015 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 30 August to 6 September 2015 at Lac d'Aiguebelette, Aiguebelette in France. Description The annual week-long rowing regatta was organized by FISA (the Int ...
in Aiguebelette she rowed in the four seat of the Australian eight to second in the B final for an overall seventh-place finish. The Australian women's
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 th ...
of 2017 had great success that year. Molly Goodman,
Lucy Stephan Lucy Stephan (born 10 December 1991) is an Australian rower. She is a seven-time consecutive Australian champion, a 2016 and 2020 Olympian and a world champion who won a 2017 world title in the coxless four and regained that same world title in ...
, Katrina Werry, and Sarah Hawe didn't lose a race in the international season and rowed to a gold medal at the
2017 World Rowing Championships The 2017 World Rowing Championships were the 47th edition of the World Rowing Championships that were held from 24 September to 1 October 2017 in Sarasota, Florida. Host selection During 2013, Plovdiv and Sarasota, Florida both applied to hos ...
. In 2018 Katrina Werry was changed out for Popa and the world champion four started their 2018 international campaign with a gold medal win at the World Rowing Cup II in Linz, Austria. In their second competitive outing of the 2018 international season in an Australian selection eight and racing as the Georgina Hope Rinehart National Training Centre, after Rowing Australia patron,
Gina Rinehart Georgina Hope Rinehart (née Hancock, born 9 February 1954) is an Australian mining magnate and businesswoman. Rinehart is the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately owned mineral exploration and extraction company founded by h ...
, Popa won the 2018
Remenham Challenge Cup The Remenham Challenge Cup is a rowing event for women's eights at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to female crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine to ma ...
at the
Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...
. The following week back in the coxless four, Popa won another gold at the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne. A subsequent rib injury to Popa though saw her swapped out of the women's coxless four for the 2018 World Championships for Kat Werry and put back into the Australian women's eight. At those championships in Plovdiv the Australian eight with Popa at three, won their heat and placed third in the final winning the bronze medal. In 2019 Popa was again picked in Australian women's sweep squad for the international season. She rowed in the five seat of the Australian women's eight to a gold medal win at Rowing World Cup II in Poznan and to a silver medal at WRC III in Rotterdam. Popa was then selected to race in Australia's women's eight at the
2019 World Rowing Championships The 2019 World Rowing Championships were held in Ottensheim, Austria from 25 August to 1 September 2019. Apart from Ottensheim, the right to host the championships was contested by Hamburg in Germany, Račice in the Czech Republic, and Varese ...
in Linz, Austria. The eight were looking for a top five finish at the 2019 World Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. They placed second in their heat, came through the repechage and led in the final from the start and at all three 500m marks till they were overrun by New Zealand by 2.7secs. The Australian eight took the silver medal and qualified for
Tokyo 2020 The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
. By the time of national team selections in 2021 for the delayed Tokyo Olympics, Popa had forced her way back into the Australian coxless four, which had qualified for the Olympics on 2019 performances. Popa was selected to race that boat with
Annabelle McIntyre Annabelle McIntyre (born 12 September 1996) is an Australian national representative rower. She is an Olympic champion, a multiple Australian national champion and won medals at the 2019 World Rowing Championships and 2018 World Championships. ...
and the experienced Olympians
Lucy Stephan Lucy Stephan (born 10 December 1991) is an Australian rower. She is a seven-time consecutive Australian champion, a 2016 and 2020 Olympian and a world champion who won a 2017 world title in the coxless four and regained that same world title in ...
and
Jessica Morrison Jessica Morrison (born 18 May 1992) is an Australian representative rower and dual Olympian. She is an Australian national champion and won two silver medals at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. She competed in the Australian women's eight a ...
. This combination had won the 2021 Australian national title in the women's coxless four. In Tokyo the four won their heat rowed two hours after Morrison and McIntyre's heat in the pair, and progressed straight to the A final. In the final they led from the start, were challenged hard to the finish by the Dutch crew but took the gold in an Olympic best time. In the
2022 Australia Day Honours The 2022 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2022 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...
Popa was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Popa, Rosemary Living people 1991 births Australian female rowers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian people of Romanian descent American female rowers American people of Romanian descent World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Rowers from Melbourne Rowers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic gold medalists for Australia 21st-century American women