Eric Murray and Hamish Bond awarded 2018 Thomas Keller Medal
Created in 1990, the Thomas Keller Medal celebrates athletes who have had an outstanding career in rowing. It honours those who have shown exemplary sportsmanship and technical mastery of the sport as well as having shown a legendary aspect both in and outside of their rowing career.
Known as the most prestigious medal awarded in rowing, the 2018 Thomas Keller Medal was awarded to Eric Murray and Hamish Bond by the World Rowing Federation, FISA.
These two very different athletes became tied together when they united in the men’s pair in 2009. They then began an unprecedented 69-race winning streak. This streak included two Olympic Gold medals (2012 and 2016) and eight World Championships titles. They also claimed World Best Times in two boat classes, the men’s pair and men’s coxed pair. These times still stand today. The duo raced together at the 2008 Olympics in the men’s four and a seventh-place finish left them disappointed but brought them back on the road to pairs success.
Medals will be awarded at the 2018 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland on 14 July 2018. During the award ceremony, an 18-carat gold medal will be bestowed to Eric and Hamish by Dominik Keller, the son of FISA’s former president Thomas Keller.
"To be awarded the Thomas Keller Medal has shown that ‘The Kiwi Pair’ has extraordinarily contributed to the rowing world. We set out to win a few races and compete against the world, and the byproduct of trying to be the best we could be consistently, has left a legacy which will be there forever. We’ve always been privileged to represent our country and the sport of rowing to the wider global community. We had utmost respect for our competitors and have enjoyed the rivalries. It’s the greatest honor from the sport which has already given so much to us, and we thank the rowing world for this acknowledgment”, said Murray.
Hamish Bond, currently cycling in Wales, comments, "Just being nominated for the highest honour the sport of rowing offers is pretty special. When you look at the list of previous winners, the potential to have your name up along such luminaries is more than I ever expected to achieve in the sport. Typically the award is given to individuals but given that my career has been intertwined with Eric's, it's an honour to win this award together."