Karsten's Story
Karsten Forsterling is a dual Olympian and former World Champion Rower who first made the Australian National Team in 1998 when he was selected for the Junior Men's Four that raced in the Junior World Rowing Championships at Linz-Ottensheim, Austria.
In 2000, the Victorian claimed his first medal, when he won silver in Australia's U23 Men's Eight, while his Senior Australian Rowing Team debut came a year later at World Rowing Cup IV in Munich where he won his second silver medal in the Men's Eight.
He competed in the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games winning bronze and silver medal the Quadruple scull.
After competing at multiple world championships and just missing out on Olympic selection at Athens 2004, Forsterling travelled to Beijing 2008 as a reserve.
His Olympic debut came four years later at London 2012, joining his 2011 World Championship-winning teammates, Chris Morgan, James McCrae and Daniel Noonan.
The team finished second in the semi-finals to book a spot in the medal race. Sitting in fourth at the midway point of the final, the Aussie crew finished strong to claim the bronze medal with Germany winning gold and Croatia taking home the silver.
After a break, Forsterling returned to rowing and was selected for his second Olympic Games, Rio 2016.
Forsterling combined with Cameron Girdlestone, James McRae and Sasha Belonogoff to win a silver medal for Australia
While rowing on the National Team for more than 20 years, Forsterling has raised a young family and managed a career as a Civil Engineer, attributing his longevity as a sportsperson to the resilience learned through his family and career.
Since the Rio 2016, he has worked on major infrastructure projects including as a Delivery Manager on Melbourne's Level Crossing Removal Project and as a Structures Lead for the new Melbourne Metro Town Hall Station.
He trains full-time alongside his teammates at the National Rowing Training Center on Lake Burley Griffin.
