Eliza Gaffney

VIC | Melbourne University Boat Club

Eliza “Lize” Gaffney is a stroke-side sweep rower from Melbourne, Victoria, and a proud member of Melbourne University Boat Club. A scholarship holder and high achiever both on and off the water, Eliza began rowing at age 14 and quickly found her stride in the sport. Now a National Training Centre (NTC) scholar and Juris Doctor student at the University of Melbourne, she continues to balance academic excellence with elite performance.

Eliza's domestic success is underpinned by a decorated national career, with multiple medals at the Australian Rowing Championships. Highlights include Gold in the Open Women’s Eight in 2024 and 2025, and a national title in the Open Women’s Four in 2023. In 2022, she also claimed silver in the U23 Women’s Pair and Open Women’s Pair, as well as bronze in the Women’s Four.

Her international debut came at the 2022 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, where she won Bronze in the Women’s Four. That same year, she was selected as a reserve for the senior Australian team and ultimately raced in the Women’s Pair at the World Championships in Račice, finishing ninth overall.

Eliza was awarded the prestigious John Hall Academic Scholarship in 2020 and completed a Bachelor of Biomedicine before pursuing postgraduate law. 

Her favourite sporting moment? Winning the Queen's Cup for Victoria in 2021—a moment of pride that continues to drive her ambition for more.

Eliza is currently a member of the Australian Women's Four and Women's Eight.

Last updated May 6, 2025.