Ruby Tew

Ruby Tew began rowing for Queen Margaret College and Star Boating Club in Wellington in 2008. She first represented New Zealand at the 2012 World Rowing Junior Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, picking up a bronze medal in the junior women’s quad. But it was in sweeping that Ruby really made an impression, and in 2015 she was selected for the elite women’s eight. The boat made history by becoming the first New Zealand women’s eight to qualify for an Olympic Games and winning New Zealand’s first medal in the class (silver). The next year the eight placed a close 4th at the Rio Olympics and won a string of World Rowing Cup medals.

A post-Olympic-year shake-up brought a fresh-look women’s eight which placed 1st and 2nd at World Rowing Cups II and III, won a Henley Royal Regatta and gained bronze at the 2017 World Rowing Championships. In 2018 Ruby moved from the eight to the new-look women’s four, which finished the 2018 season with a 9th place overall in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, at the World Rowing Championships. The following year was somewhat of a roller coaster ride for Ruby. Initially selected into the reserve pair with Kirstyn Goodger, Ruby raced in the women’s eight at World Rowing Cup II where they finished in 4th place. At World Rowing Cup III Ruby was back in the pair with Kirstyn Goodger, after which she joined the women’s reserve double sculls to create a women’s quadruple sculls for the 2019 World Rowing Championships, hoping to qualify the boat for the Olympics. They were able to achieve that and some, finishing in 5th place.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Ruby and the rest of the open coxless quad sculls placed 2nd in the B finals.

Ruby has completed a degree in finance and accounting at Massey University and works part time with accounting firm Forsyth Barr in Hamilton.