Rowing Australia has paid tribute to David Anderson, a trailblazing oarsman and Olympic medallist whose career helped define an era of innovation and excellence in Australian rowing.
Anderson passed away November 5 in Wollongong, aged 93.
Anderson began rowing at Leichhardt Rowing Club (NSW) in 1949, where he became one of the original “Professor Cotton’s Guinea Pigs”, a pioneering group of athletes who worked under Professor Frank Cotton, widely regarded as the father of sports science in Australia.
Cotton’s groundbreaking use of ergometer testing and physiological monitoring shaped modern athletic training, and Anderson’s rapid rise from novice to Olympic medallist became one of its earliest success stories.
By 1950, Anderson and his Leichhardt crewmates had progressed from newcomers to state champions in both junior and senior fours, soon earning selection as reserves for the Interstate Championships and representing Australia in Trans-Tasman racing the following year.
His progression was marked by innovation and courage, as he and his crew helped test new training methods and equipment that would influence rowing science for generations.
Anderson’s international achievements included competing at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, where he rowed in the Men’s Eight that claimed Bronze, followed by appearances at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, winning Gold in the Men’s Coxed Four and Bronze in the Coxless Pair.
He also competed at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, the Henley Royal Regatta, and represented New South Wales in the King’s Cup Eight from 1950 to 1957.
The Leichhardt Rowing Club history, Rowing on with Leichhardt (2006), described him as “the most prominent of any club oarsman interstate and internationally”, a fitting summary of a career that combined brilliance on the water with the pioneering spirit of Australian sport’s scientific revolution.
Rowing Australia extends its deepest condolences to David Anderson’s family, friends and the Leichhardt Rowing Club community.