Harriet Hudson

A native of rural Queensland, Harriet Hudson first learned to row as a Brisbane boarding school student. Once finished with her secondary education, Harriet made the journey to Sydney in search of further rowing opportunities, and began her tertiary studies at Sydney University.

Once settled at the Sydney Rowing Club, Harriet earned her first selection in the Australian Rowing Team, in the women’s single scull event at the 2016 Junior Championships, where she finished sixth overall.

After three successive appearances at the U23 World Championships, earning silver in the 2017 and 2019 regattas, Harriet returned to Sydney to work under John Keogh, Tom Westgarth and Ellen Randell at Rowing Australia’s National Training Centre.

At the 2021 final Olympic qualification Regatta, Harriet, alongside crewmates Caitlin Cronin, Rowena Meredith and Ria Thompson, ensured the participation of the women’s quadruple scull for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with the four earning gold in the final.

Harriet made her Olympic debut in Japan and won a bronze medal alongside fellow debutants Ria, Rowena and Cailtin. At Japan's Sea Forest Waterway the crew faced a tough field and earned their position in the final the hard way, via the repechage after they finished fourth in their heat.

The crew came up against USA, Italy, Great Britain and New Zealand in a tough race that required a top two finish to progress to the A-Final.

The Olympic debutants crossed the line first and booked their position in the Olympic final. The Aussies maintained fifth position for the first 1500-metres of the final but their composure and boat speed in tough conditions pushed them through to take the bronze, ahead of crews from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

Looking forward to Paris 2024, Harriet has set her sights even higher alongside fellow rower Amanda Bateman in the women’s double sculls. Their recent silver medal win at the World Rowing Cup II in Lucerne, Switzerland, showcased what they’re capable of, with the USA narrowly edging them out of top spot.

Though they took the lead in the third 500m, victory eluded them in the final stretch, with only 0.78s separating them from the United States, while Norway secured third place.