Olympian John Storey announces retirement
London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic athlete John Storey earlier today announced his retirement from rowing.
John and wife Louise’s daughter, Ava, was recently diagnosed with a rare chromosomal disorder called 1p36 deletion syndrome. With the support of his teammates and Rowing NZ, John withdrew from trials in March.
Speaking of his retirement, John acknowledged his family and teammates. “I believe I am in the best form of my life and wanted to finish my career after the Tokyo Olympic Games, but ultimately I am happy with my decision to focus on my family. I am immensely thankful for the opportunity to represent New Zealand for more than ten years, and to have worn the silver fern in so many incredible parts of the world. As with many athletes, my career has never been straight-forward and I have experienced many ups and downs, but I have enjoyed it all. My teammates, staff and coaches – past and present – are what have made my career so enjoyable. I would like to thank all the legendary athletes I have had the pleasure of training alongside throughout what has being an incredible journey. I would also like to thank my family for always being there for me, as without their support, none of this life would have been possible. I am incredibly grateful for the Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship programme for its continued support of my education, and I plan to complete my PhD with Auckland University and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare within the next few months. To all my teammates who are continuing on to Tokyo, I wish you all the best and look forward to supporting you from home.”
John Storey started rowing at St Andrew’s College and Avon Rowing Club in 2003 and made his first international appearance in the U21 team in 2006 before being selected for the U23 men’s coxed four in 2009. He made the hard work count, winning gold in Racice, Czech Republic. A switch to sculling followed in 2010 with the elite men’s quad, and John remained in that boat through to the London Olympic Games in 2012 where the crew placed 7th. After a year away from the sport he rejoined the men’s quad in 2014, taking the boat right through to the 2016 Olympics in Rio where the crew placed 10th. During that period the quad had many close finishes in a super-competitive field. After the 2016 Games John linked up with Chris Harris in the double sculls. The two went unbeaten throughout the 2017 season, winning gold at World Rowing Cups II and III, a win at Henley Royal Regatta, and finishing off by becoming elite world champions for the first time in Sarasota, Florida.
In 2018 the duo dealt with a number of injuries, and in what was a difficult year for New Zealand they picked up the only men’s medal – a bronze in Plovdiv at the World Rowing Championships. More injuries in 2019 saw a tough year for John and Chris in the double. At Henley the crew set a new course record for the men’s open double, later placing second in the final. At the 2019 World Rowing Championships John and Chris finished in 8th place, securing a spot for a New Zealand men’s double at the Olympic Games. Since the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games, John has been training at Lake Karapiro as a senior member of the elite team.
John has a degree in mechanical engineering and is nearing completion of his PhD in biomedical engineering with Auckland University and Fisher and Paykel Healthcare.
Rowing NZ’s General Manager – Performance, Judith Hamilton congratulated John on his tremendous career. “John has been a leader amongst our team for many years now, a position he has earnt throughout a very successful career. We are losing an incredible athlete from our programme, and the New Zealand engineering industry are gaining an incredible asset. John’s wife Louise and daughter Ava are familiar to all at Rowing NZ, with Louise also representing New Zealand in our sport. We continue to support John and his family and wish them well.’’