23 December 2021

By Göran R Buckhorn

USRowing announced today that Dutch coach Josy Verdonkschot has been named USRowing’s Chief High Performance Officer. Verdonkschot will begin his new role in January of 2022.

On 7 December, HTBS wrote that Josy Verdonkschot has left his coaching position with the Dutch Rowing Federation after a rift with the federation. Verdonkschot was the women’s head coach for The Netherlands from 2014 to 2021. The Netherlands placed third in the Medal Table at the Olympic rowing on the Sea Forest Waterway this summer with one gold, two silver and two bronze medals. During the Games, Verdonkschot tested positive for COVID-19 and went into a 10-day quarantine. During his eight years as the Dutch women’s coach, he has coached crews to seven Olympic medals, including two golds.

“Josy brings an international reputation for excellence and forward thinking to this role, and we can’t wait for him to get started,” said Amanda Kraus, USRowing CEO, who led the recruitment process. “This has been a long search with many qualified candidates. Josy’s coaching and managerial skill set, focus on athlete wellness and care, and his deep understanding of sport science and technology set him up to be successful here. We are thrilled to have him coming aboard.”

“This position is a challenge I am looking forward to, said Verdonkschot. “We still have to finalize the details, but it feels good. I am excited to meet the U.S. athletes and to build a structure and culture to help make them successful.”

“Josy led the Dutch Federation to three medals in Tokyo last summer, finishing third in the medal table,” said Nobuhisa Ishizuka, USRowing Board Chair. “He knows what success looks like, and he also knows how to develop a program that puts athlete care and development at the center of its focus. We are fortunate and pleased that Josy has chosen to come onboard with USRowing, and we’re looking forward to a bright future with him.”

As HTBS has mentioned in previous articles, Sir Steve Redgrave was one of the persons who was considered for the position as High-Performance Director at USRowing. On 9 December, Amanda Kraus wrote in a letter published on USRowing’s website that Sir Steve was not longer a finalist for the role. Earlier in December, The Times reported that his application to be the new Director of Performance at British Rowing had been rejected by the organisation.