Rowing row 'sad for sport'

MAN OF INTEGRITY: Barring an inconceivable volte-face - or an unprecedented plea bargain with Mahe Drysdale, Zoe Stevenson and Eve Macfarlane - no New Zealand international rowing crew will again be officially coached by Dick Tonks.PHOTO/FILE

Double world champion rower Philippa Baker-Hogan has described the rift between Dick Tonks and the governing body a "sad day for the sport".

Tonks, formerly from Whanganui, had been working with Chinese men's rowers on Lake Karapiro, the same training base of New Zealand's crews, but decided to move on when his link was questioned by the governing body.

Essentially, it seems the master coach felt his integrity built over more than 20 years coaching at elite level was ignored, while the governing body believed their security protocols around Rio intelligence were breached.

Whanganui district councillor Baker-Hogan was the first New Zealand woman rower to win a world championship when she claimed the lightweight single title in 1991.

She was coached then by Duncan Holland, but when he was head-hunted to be the Swiss coach, Baker-Hogan and new rowing partner Brenda Lawson were on the look out for a new mentor.

"That's why I came to Whanganui. I had heard about the things Dick Tonks was doing and was impressed. I was already a world champion, so in a sense I guess I helped get his name out there," Baker-Hogan said yesterday.

"Brenda and I teamed up in 1992 for the Barcelona Olympics, but came fourth, but we did win the world championship heavyweight title with Dick as our coach in New Zealand. He was and is a tough task master, but that's exactly what is needed to win at top level - rowing is one of the toughest sports around.

"The thing about the man is he was largely responsible for taking New Zealand to the top of the rowing world. We always had the potential, but just needed the direction and that's what Dick gave.

"To question Dick's integrity would be a huge thing with him. He is not an arrogant man, but has immense integrity. This is a sad day for rowing and if the governing body can't find a way of getting through this we will lose perhaps the greatest coach of any sport," Baker-Hogan said.

"He has never applied for a job is his life and has remained committed to New Zealand rowing - he could have coached anywhere in the world. The phenomenal success of New Zealand rowing in the past 20 odd years was built on the incredible commitment, skill and dogged determination of Dick Tonks - it simply wouldn't have happened without him and Rowing NZ should be well reminded of that at this crucial time."

Tonks' methods are beyond dispute. Perhaps the most telling statistic is the 68 Olympic or world championship medals (35 gold, 16 silver, 17 bronze) New Zealand rowers have won since the 2004 Athens Games.

Pre-2004, there were seven Tonks-driven world championships (shared between Philippa Baker, Brenda Lawson, Rob Waddell and the Evers-Swindells, Georgina and Caroline) and two Olympic titles (Waddell and the Evers-Swindell) to cement the 64-year-old's authority in rowing ranks.

Barring an inconceivable volte-face - or an unprecedented plea bargain with Mahe Drysdale, Zoe Stevenson and Eve Macfarlane - no New Zealand international rowing crew will again be officially coached by Tonks.

Since being employed full-time by Rowing New Zealand in 1999, his charges have picked up a gold medal at every Olympic Games.

He helped make household names of Waddell, the Evers-Swindells, Drysdale, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray.