Louis Mark Attrill MBE 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 Olympic gold medallist.

Career

Attrill took up rowing at Shanklin Rowing Club on the Isle of Wight and won novice at Milford regatta. The following year he furthered his interest in the sport at

Imperial College Boat Club Imperial College Boat Club is the rowing club for Imperial College and has its boat house on the River Thames on the Putney embankment, London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1919. The alumni also run a boat club which is known as the Queen' ...

in 1993. Previously he had played rugby and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

for Hampshire Colts and was British junior

kick-boxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

champion in 1991. In his first year of rowing, he won at Henley Royal Regatta in the

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

Temple Challenge Cup The Temple Challenge Cup is one of the eights races at Henley Royal Regatta at Henley-on-Thames on the River Thames in England. It is open to male crews from universities, colleges or schools. Combined entries from two colleges of the same un ...

eight. The following year he won his second Henley medal and made his international debut at under-23 level, he was also asked to travel to the 1995 senior World Championships in the reserve pair. In 1996, Attrill rowed for Imperial and won the premier event for eights at Henley Royal Regatta — the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event 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 ...

. He then went on to be selected for the British under-23 coxless four which won a gold medal at the Nations Cup. Attrill was selected for the 1997 senior eight. This was a young crew, largely composed of ex-junior and under-23 internationals. They raced with freshness and flair throughout the World Cup series and finished in fourth place at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

. He was in the eight again for the 1998 World Championships and they were unlucky to miss out on a place in the final. Attrill won a silver medal in the eight at the 1999 World Championships in Canada. In a close race the British and Americans battled it out, pulling away from the rest of the field. The Brits took the lead in the third 500 metres only for the United States crew to snatch it back before the finish. It was Attril's third year in the eight and the result was a reflection of the meticulous attention to detail that the crew had put into their preparations. In 2000 they had a very successful season on the international circuit and took the World Cup title at Lucerne, Switzerland. He then went on to win an Olympic gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Games.

Personal life

Attrill was born in

Newport, Isle of Wight Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, and is in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the na ...

in 1975. He still lives on the Isle of Wight. He was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

2001 New Year Honours The 2001 New Year Honours List is one of the annual New Year Honours, a part of the British honours system, where New Year's Day, 1 January, is marked in several Commonwealth countries by appointing new members of orders of chivalry and recipient ...

list.United Kingdom list:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attrill, Louis 1975 births Living people Alumni of Imperial College London English male rowers English Olympic medallists English rugby union players Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic rowers of Great Britain Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Rugby union players from the Isle of Wight Sportspeople from the Isle of Wight World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain