Thomas Murray

Tom Murray started rowing in 2010 at Marlborough Boys’ College and Blenheim Rowing Club. Like many high-school rowers, he initially used the sport to get fit for rugby season, but eventually rowing took precedence. In his final year of high school, Tom won the Boy's U18 Coxed Four (Springbok Shield) with Marlborough Boys' College in 2012.

Tom was selected in his first New Zealand team as part of the Junior Coxed Four in 2012 that went on to win Gold at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. After a summer with Central RPC, he joined the U23 Men’s Eight in 2013 and helped the crew to win back-to-back U23 world titles in 2013 and 2014. The crew then qualified the boat for the 2016 Rio Olympics by placing a close 4th at the 2015 World Rowing Championships. It was the first time in over 30 years that New Zealand had featured in the big boat class at the Olympics. The young Men’s Eight came home in 6th place at the Rio Olympic Games after a competitive showing in the early stages of the race. The year of 2016 Tom also won his first Red Coat, winning the Men's Premier Pair with Jamie Hunter at the 2016 NZ Rowing National Championships.

In 2017 Tom linked up with Jamie Hunter to form a Men’s pair combination. The duo won gold at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland, and earned a Bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida. In 2018 Tom was joined in the Men’s Pair by Michael Brake, with whom he had previously rowed in the Men’s Eight and his original Junior Coxed Four. The pair won Gold at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne and finished 5th at the World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

In 2019 Tom returned to the pair with Michael Brake: where they achieved Silver at World Rowing Cup II, bronze at World Rowing Cup III, and a Silver medal at the World Rowing Championships.

The pair went back to the big boat of the Men's Eight in 2021, then after only securing a boat for Tokyo via the last-chance qualification regatta in Lucerne in May, the Men's Eight (with Tom at 3 seat) went on to reclaim the title after a near 50-year wait in an exhilarating final by winning Olympic Gold.

Tom has managed to make an outstanding comeback in 2023, after not being able to compete for over a year. Tom has been named in the 2023 Elite Men's Sculling Squad. Tom now has his head set on a new goal with a fresh new crew - where he has been named alongside Ollie Maclean, Matt MacDonald and Logan Ullrich in the 2023 Elite Men's Coxless Four, where the crew have gone on to claim Bronze in their season opener at the 2023 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland. The crew is coached by Mike Rodger and Malcolm McIntyre.

Off the water, Tom is an avid Star Wars fan and has taken up archery in his spare time.