Timothy James Carrington Foster, MBE (born 19 January 1970) is an English rower who won a gold medal at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

in Sydney, Australia.

Career

He began rowing at Bedford Modern School and competed in the World Rowing Junior Championships in 1987 and 1988. In the latter he competed in a pair with Matthew Pinsent. He became the first British rower to win gold medals at two consecutive Junior Worlds. From there he proceeded into the senior squad. In 1993 he underwent

back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...

surgery but was straight back in the boat for the 1994 season, winning Bronze in the coxless four at the World Championships. This boat stayed together until the 1996 Olympics, where they won Bronze. Following his Olympic medal, he continued his university studies at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, competing in the 1997 Boat Race. In 1997 he won a seat in the

coxless four A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell 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 ...

alongside Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell. In the run up to the Olympics, he again needed back surgery and time off after severing

tendons A tendon or sinew is a tough band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tension. Tendons, like ligaments, are made of ...

in his hand by punching a window at a boat club party. In August 2000, the month prior to winning gold in Sydney, a three-part BBC documentary entitled '' Gold Fever'' was broadcast. This followed the coxless four team in the years leading up to the Olympics, including video diaries recording the highs and lows in the quest for gold. Despite the problems Foster had had, he was in the final crew and they won the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. He was awarded an MBE for his part in this in 2001. After Sydney, he retired from international rowing, and retired as an active rower in July 2001. After a stint coaching at the University of London Boat Club, he joined the UK Sport-sponsored Elite Coach Programme in 2004. In January 2007, he became the head coach of the Swiss national rowing squad. He remained in this role until 2012, and now works as a business coach.

Personal life

At the 2008 Olympic Games in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, Foster proposed to Joy Fahrenkrog, a four-time member of the United States Archery Team. The pair met in 2000 while Joy was studying at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and rowing for the University of London Boat Club. His brother Jason was the team manager for the England Rowing Team and head of rowing at George Watson's College,

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Achievements

* Olympic Medals: 1 Gold, 1 Bronze *

World Championship 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 ...

Medals: 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze * Junior World Championship Medals: 2 Gold * Blue Boat Appearances: 1 (0 wins)

Olympic Games

* 2000: Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave) * 1996: Bronze, Coxless Four * 1992: 6th, Eight

World Championships

* 1999: Silver, Eight * 1998: Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave) * 1997: Gold, Coxless Four (with James Cracknell, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave) * 1995: Silver, Coxless Four * 1994: Bronze, Coxless Four * 1993: Injured, did not compete in World Championships * 1991: Bronze, Eight * 1990: 4th, Coxless Four (with Martin Cross, Peter Mulkerrins, Gavin Stewart) * 1989 – Bronze, Eight

Junior World Championships

* 1988: Gold, Coxless Pair (with Matthew Pinsent) * 1987: Gold, Coxless Four

Bibliography

* ''Four Men in a Boat'' (2004)

References

External links

*
''Gold Fever''
at bbc.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Tim 1970 births Living people English male rowers Olympic rowers for Great Britain Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics English Olympic competitors Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Sportspeople from Bedford People educated at Bedford Modern School Alumni of St Cross College, Oxford Alumni of Saïd Business School Members of Leander Club Members of the Order of the British Empire Olympic medalists in rowing Oxford University Boat Club rowers World Rowing Championships medalists for Great Britain Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics