Christopher's Story
Rio 2016 was the third Olympic campaign for South Australian rower Chris Morgan, as he took to the water in the men’s double sculls.
Partnered with debutant, David Watts, the duo scrapped into the A/B semi-final after finishing third in their heat. In a tough semi-final, the Australians pulled out hard and were amongst the key players in the first half of the race. At the 1000m mark, the Norwegians and British pulled ahead to chase the leading Croatians, leaving the Australians tussling for fourth and fifth with the New Zealanders. Australia crossed the line in fifth and went on to win the B-Final.
At the 2012 Games, Morgan secured a bronze medal in the men’s quad sculls, improving one rank from a fourth place finish at the Beijing 2008 Games in the same boat, which had set a new world record in the heats earlier in the Olympic regatta.
Lured by the prize of a carton of beer, Morgan took part in a rowing machine competition during O-Week at university. After winning the prize he was asked to join the Adelaide University Boat Club and he made a rapid rise in the sport.
In 2010, Morgan became World Champion in the coxed pair before backing up the following year to win the 2011 World Championship in the quad sculls with Daniel Noonan Karsten Forsterling and James McRae. The four went on to compete together in London at the 2012 Olympic Games. In the Olympic final, they were sitting in fourth at half way until they surged home to claim the bronze medal.
Before taking up rowing, Morgan had showed promise in race walking, earning him the nickname 'Walker'. He also qualified for the 2009 Kona Ironman.
