Timothy's Story
Tim Masters was introduced to rowing during his formative years at Melbourne Grammar School. His early club rowing experiences came at Banks Rowing Club where he began his ascent in the sport. This included representing Victoria in the youth eight at the 2010 Australian Rowing Championships, his first major event.
In 2011, Tim ventured to the United States to attend Princeton University, where he earned a Degree in Military and Political History. While studying in the US, Tim rowed on the Princeton varsity eight crew from 2013 to 2015. His efforts helped the university secure its first medal in nine years after they won bronze at the 2015 Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships.
At the same time as his college success, Tim made his international debut with the Australian U23 eight at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships in Amsterdam. This was followed by silver medals in the coxless four at the 2012 and 2013 U23 Championships. He also won the Stewards' Challenge Cup at the 2012 Henley Royal Regatta and secured another silver with the U23 Australian eight at the 2014 World Rowing U23 Championships in Varese.
Tim's next notable start would come in 2016 when he was part of the Australian men's eight team attempting to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games. Whilst unsuccessful in his Olympic qualification attempt, Tim would find national success when he won the King's Cup in Victoria's men's eight crew later that year.
Between 2017 and 2019, Tim would go on an international hot streak, claiming numerous podium places. This included finishing third in the 2017 men's eight at the World Rowing Championships, second at the World Rowing Cup III and third in the men's eight at the 2017 World Rowing Cup II. Tim scored an extra two silver medals in 2018 at the World Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cup III. His success arguably coming off the back of a move to the Reinhold Batschi National Training Centre in Canberra and working with the likes of Ian Wright, Mark Prater and Andrew Randell.
Jumping across for a brief switch to the men’s four, Tim managed to win gold in the 2019 World Rowing Cups II and III. After his success in the four, he was recalled to Australia's men's eight crew for the World Rowing Championships. As part of that crew, Tim managed to help qualify the boat for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a triumphant moment for him, after being on the same team that fell short of qualification just four years prior.
At the Olympics, Tim and his crew managed to fight their way through the A-Final, coming up against rowing powerhouses such as Germany and the USA. Despite Tim and his crew's best efforts, the Aussies finished in sixth place, 12 seconds behind gold medal winners New Zealand after the 2000 metre dash.
After Tokyo, Tim took a brief hiatus from international competition, with his first notable start post-Tokyo coming at the 2023 World Rowing Cup II. Here, he finished second in the final as part of the Australian men's eight squad. He would go one better at the World Cup III, taking gold before rowing the Australian eight's men crew into the Paris Olympics after finishing third at the 2023 World Rowing Championships.