Eric_Verdonk

Eric Verdonk

Eric Verdonk

New Zealand rower (1959–2020)

Eric Franciscus Maria Verdonk (28 May 1959 – 3 April 2020) was a New Zealand rower who won bronze medals in the single sculls events at the 1988 Summer Olympics, 1986 Commonwealth Games, and 1990 World Rowing Championships.

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Career

Verdonk began rowing at Westlake Boys High School in Forrest Hill, Auckland. In 1976, he won the Maadi Cup.[2] He was a member of the North Shore Rowing Club,[3] joining the club in 1973.[4]

At the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Verdonk won a bronze medal in the single sculls;[3][5] the race was won by Steve Redgrave.[4] He also came fourth in the double sculls event at the Games.[4] At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Verdonk competed in the single sculls. He won his heat, came third in his semi-final,[4] and finished third in the final[3][5] behind Thomas Lange and Peter-Michael Kolbe.[4] At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Verdonk finished fourth,[3] and at one point in the race was 0.62 seconds behind Pole Kajetan Broniewski, who finished third.[6]

In total, he competed at five World Rowing Championships,[7] and his best result was third, at the 1990 in Tasmania, Australia. [8] Verdonk was sixth in the single sculls at the 1987 World Rowing Championships in Copenhagen,[4] and was fifth in the single sculls at the 1991 World Rowing Championships in Vienna.[6]

In 1994, Verdonk won the double sculls event at the Commonwealth Championships in Ontario, Canada, and finished second in the quad scull event.[8] Verdonk also won a single sculls event at the Henley Royal Regatta,[3] becoming the first New Zealander to win the event.[5] Another year, Verdonk came second in the single sculls event at the Henley Royal Regatta.[3] He won seven consecutive New Zealand single skulls national championships between 1987 and 1993. He won six New Zealand double skulls national championships, with four different partners.[4]

Following his retirement, Verdonk worked for Waitakere Sports Association,[2] and from 2017, Verdonk was the head coach at Takapuna Grammar School Rowing Club In March 2020, the club made him a lifetime member. [5] Also in 2020, the New Zealand Rowing Foundation awarded Verdonk a legacy medal for his contributions to rowing in New Zealand.[7]

Personal life and death

Verdonk was born in Taihape, New Zealand to Dutch parents, and his native language was Dutch.[4] He was married and had a son and a daughter.[3]

Verdonk died of cancer on 3 April 2020 in Auckland, at the age of 60.[3]

References

  1. [1]
    "Eric Verdonk". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Our Head Coach - Eric Verdonk". Takapuna Grammar School. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  3. [3]
    "Rowing Olympic medallist Eric Verdonk dies following cancer battle". Stuff.co.nz. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  4. [4]
    "Eric Verdonk". Olympic. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. [5]
    "'A very kind man with a huge heart' - Kiwi rowing icon Eric Verdonk remembered". TVNZ. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  6. [6]
    Kluge, Volker. Olympische Sommerspiele (in German). Vol. 4. Sportverlag Berlin [de]. p. 500. ISBN 3-328-00830-6.
  7. [7]
    Robinson, Luke (3 April 2020). "Rowing: Former Olympic medallist Eric Verdonk dies after cancer battle". Newshub. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  8. [8]
    Etchells, Daniel (3 April 2020). "Olympic bronze medal-winning rower Verdonk dies aged 60". Inside the Games. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
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