6 January 2022

By Göran R Buckhorn

On Tuesday, 4 January, Rowing Australia announced that Andrew Randell, Senior Coach of the Reinhold Batschi Men’s National Training Centre (NTC), had resigned.

Randell has coached Australian national crews since 1995, and he began to work at the NTC at the centre’s creation in 2017. For three years, between 2017 and 2019, Randell coached the men’s eight. The crew’s best result was a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships. He has coached crews for World Cups, World Championships and three Olympic Games, in 2008, 2016 and 2020.

In April 2021, Randell joined the Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre to support Australia’s women’s quadruple sculls with their qualification and preparation for the Tokyo Games. The crew of Caitlin Cronin, Harriet Hudson, Rowena Meredith and Ria Thompson took the bronze medal on the Olympic course on the Sea Forest Waterway. Randell had months earlier coached the crew to victory in the final Olympic qualification regatta on Rotsee, Lucerne.

“Andrew has made an enormous contribution to rowing in Australia, and I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the many years that he has dedicated to fostering some of our most talented athletes to realise their sporting potential, both men and women, sculling and sweep,” said Paul Thompson, Rowing Australia Performance Director, who took up this position in November last year.

Thompson continued: “Some of our best and brightest athletes have benefited from Andrew’s coaching over the years, none more so than the women’s quadruple scull who achieved a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics under the most challenging of circumstances.

“On behalf of Rowing Australia our coaches and athletes past and present, I would like to thank Andrew for his years of service as a coach and we wish him well for the future.”

Rowing Australia is now seeking applications for the role of Senior Coach, Reinhold Batschi Men’s National Training Centre. Applications close already on Friday 14 January 2022. More details are here.