Timothy John Willoughby (24 June 1954 – 9 January 2008) was an Australian

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 ...

, yachtsman and stockbroker. He was a five-time Australian national champion rower, a dual Olympian and won a bronze medal in the Australian men's eight at the

1984 Summer 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 ...

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 state rowing

Born in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in 1954, Willoughby first began to show promise as a rower whilst at St Mark's College at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, where he was a boat captain in the Adelaide University Boat Club. Willoughby was first selected to represent South Australia in the 1975 senior men's eight which contested the King's Cup at the Interstate Regatta. He made a total of nine King's Cup appearances for South Australia between 1975 and 1984. That was a golden period for South Australian heavyweight men's rowing and their eights won the title in 1981, 1982 and 1983; and placed second in 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1984. From 1980 to 1983 in Adelaide University colours he contested the national coxed or coxless four titles each year 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 ...

. In 1980, 1982 and 1983 he also raced for the coxless pair title and he won those national championships in 1982 and 83.

International representative rowing

Willoughby made his first Australian representation in the Australian men's eight selected to contest the

1980 Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

. That crew finished with an overall fifth placing.Willoughby at World Rowing
/ref> He was selected in 1981 to a

coxed four A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oa ...

with Graham Jones, Jim Battersby and John Bentley who raced at the

1981 World Rowing Championships The 1981 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 30 August to 6 September 1981 at Oberschleißheim outside Munich, West Germany. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table References ...

in Munich to a sixth placing. In 1982 that same four with Battersby changed out for Bruce Keynes was selected to contest the

1982 World Rowing Championships The 1982 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 28 to 29 August 1982 at Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medal table References {{World Rowing Champio ...

in Lucerne. They missed the A final and placed seventh overall. In 1983, Willoughby secured the six seat of the Australian eight selected within a limited squad sent to the

1983 World Rowing Championships The 1983 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 3 to 4 September 1983 at Wedau in Duisburg, West Germany. Medal summary Men's events Women's events Medals table Seventeen nations won medals of th ...

in Duisburg Germany. The eight performed well in lead up regattas at Vichy, Ratzeburg and Nottingham. In the final at the World Championships the Australian crew drew a bad lane and lost the benefit of the tail breeze however they raced a strong second 1000m and finished in third place for a bronze medal. The Australian eight selected for 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 ...

was built around the national champion

Mosman Rowing Club Mosman Rowing Club is an all-level competitive and recreational rowing club on the North Shore of Sydney. Since 2007 the club's facilities have been wholly located at The Spit in Sydney's Middle Harbour, the northern arm of Port Jackson. Merc ...

coxed four of Jim Battersby, Craig Muller and Steve Evans. Willougby was selected in the four seat and made his second Olympics in Los Angeles. The Australian eight finished third in the final with a time of 5:43.40 winning bronze behind Canada and the USA.

Yachtsman

Subsequent to his win in Los Angeles, Willoughby was a crew member of the Australian yacht ''Kookaburra III'', which attempted to defend the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

in 1987 but was defeated by the

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yacht '' Stars & Stripes''. He remained in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

following the America's Cup and became president of the WA Olympic Council and of the Olympians Club of WA, representing

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

to the

Australian Olympic Committee 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 ...

Professional career

Willoughby spent twenty years as a stockbroker for the Goldman Sachs JBWere investment bank. Having left Goldman Sachs in late 2007, Willoughby was due to start work at the firm of Citi Smith Barney on 10 January 2008, but died suddenly on 9 January 2008 after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on board a flight from the

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, returning home from a family holiday in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

.Sprague, Julie-anne
Stockbroker and former Olympian Tim Willoughby dies
''WA Business News'', 10 January 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willoughby, Tim 1954 births 2008 deaths Australian male rowers Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia University of Adelaide alumni 1987 America's Cup sailors Olympic medalists in rowing Rowers at the 1980 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Rowers from Adelaide Sportsmen from South Australia