Macintyre Russell

QLD | University of Queensland Boat Club

Mac Russell is a passionate and dedicated PR3 para rower from Brisbane, Queensland, whose love for the sport is matched only by his encyclopedic knowledge of it. A longstanding member of the University of Queensland Boat Club, Mac’s journey through rowing has spanned more than a decade, evolving from a schoolboy athlete to a world champion.

Mac began rowing in 2010 at St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace and competed as an able-bodied athlete in his school’s Second VIII. After being classified with an intellectual impairment in 2016, he transitioned into para rowing—unlocking new competitive opportunities and continuing his rise in the sport. In 2024, he was also nationally classified as a physical PR3 rower.

Across multiple national championships, Mac has won more than a dozen PR3 titles in singles, mixed doubles, and mixed coxed fours. He has represented Queensland every year since 2017 in the Interstate PR3 Men’s Single, standing on the podium each time and claiming victory in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

On the international stage, Mac first represented Australia at the 2019 INAS Global Games and has since competed at the Virtus Oceania Asia Games (2022) and Virtus Global Games (2023), earning numerous medals in both indoor and on-water rowing events. His most memorable moment came at the 2023 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Italy, where he and his best friend Phoebe Robinson won gold in the Mixed Inclusion PR3 Double Scull—the first Australians to ever medal at the event, and the first champions in that classification.

Mac holds several age-group world records on the rowing ergometer and continues to push the limits of his performance. In 2025, he aims to be selected to the Reinhold Batschi National Training Centre, excel at the Paris Para International Regatta, and achieve a personal best over 2km in the single scull.

Off the water, Mac works part-time as a Pharmacy Assistant and listens to country music—especially Luke Combs—during tough training sessions. Still coached by his father Michael, Mac brings unwavering commitment, deep technical insight, and an infectious enthusiasm for rowing to every session and race.

Macintyre is currently the Australian PR3 Men's Single Sculls. 

Last updated June 5, 2025.