Dave Rodger

David "Dave" Marsden Rodger (born June 18, 1955 in Hamilton , New Zealand ) is a former New Zealand rower , who was eighth in the 1976 Olympics .

Career

The 1.92 m tall Dave Rodger from the Waikato Rowing Club in Hamilton was part of the New Zealand squad for the first time at the 1974 World Rowing Championships . He won the bronze medal behind the big boats from the USA and from the UK with the eighth. At the rowing world championships in 1975 the GDR eight won ahead of the boat from the Soviet Union, Rodger again received the bronze medal with the New Zealand eight. From the New Zealand eighth, which had become Olympic champion in 1972 , four rowers sat at the 1976 Olympic Games and the helmsman Simon Dickie in the New Zealand eighth, who rowed to third place behind the boats from the GDR and the United Kingdom at the third season highlight in a row .

In the 1977 season, Dave Rodger and Ivan Sutherland rowed out of the 1976 eight in the four without a helmsman . At the world championships , the boat took second place behind the GDR foursome. In 1978 all four rowers from last year’s four sat in the New Zealand eight, which once again won the bronze medal behind the two German eights from East (gold) and West (silver) at the home world championships on Lake Karapiro . After a break in 1979 rowed Rodger in 1980 in New Zealand eight, which, however, again due to the Olympic boycott not on the Olympic regatta was allowed to participate.

At the Rowing World Championships in 1981 , the New Zealand eighth could not reach the A final, as the winner of the B final, the New Zealanders took seventh place in the overall standings. In 1982 and 1983 , the eighth under coach Harry Mahon won the world title twice, in addition to the Olympic victory in 1972, the two greatest successes for a New Zealand eighth. At the Olympic Games in 1984, the Canadians won ahead of the US eight, the New Zealanders finished fourth, seven tenths of a second behind the Australians. At the end of his career, Rodger finished fourth at the 1985 World Rowing Championships with eighth place.

Dave Rodger is married to the former track and field athlete Dianne , who competed in the 1976 Olympic Games as Dianne Zorn. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Dave and Dianne were the first couple to be nominated for a New Zealand Olympic team.

International medals

(OS = Olympic Games; WM = World Championships)

• 1974 World Cup : Bronze in eighth ( Tony Hurt , Danny Keane , Lindsay Wilson , Athol Earl , Trevor Coker , Alexander McLean , Dave Rodger, Ross Blomfield and helmsman David Simmons )
• WM 1975 : Bronze in eighth ( Grant McAuley , Alexander McLean , Dave Rodger, Athol Earl , Lindsay Wilson , Ross Collinge , Trevor Coker , Peter Dignan and helmsman David Simmons )
• OS 1976 : Bronze in the eighth ( Ivan Sutherland , Trevor Coker , Peter Dignan , Lindsay Wilson , Athol Earl , Dave Rodger, Alexander McLean , Tony Hurt and helmsman Simon Dickie )
• World Cup 1977 : Silver in the four without a helmsman (Dave Rodger, Desmond Lock , Ivan Sutherland and David Lindstrom )
• 1978 World Cup : bronze in eighth ( Mark James , Gregory Johnston , Dave Rodger, Desmond Lock , Ross Lindstrom , David Lindstrom , Ivan Sutherland , Noel Mills and helmsman Alan Cotter )
• 1982 World Cup : Gold in eighth ( Les O'Connell , Mike Stanley , Andrew Stevenson , George Keys , Roger White-Parsons , Christopher White , Anthony Brook , Dave Rodger and helmsman Andrew Hay )
• 1983 World Cup : gold in eighth ( Mike Stanley , Andrew Stevenson , Dave Rodger, Roger White-Parsons , Christopher White , Barrie Mabbott , George Keys , Nigel Atherfold and helmsman Andrew Hay )

New Zealand championship title

• Two without a helmsman: 1977, 1978, 1981
• Four without a helmsman: 1984,1985
• Four with a helmsman: 1978
• Eighth: 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984

Web links

• Dave Rodger in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Dave Rodger at Worldrowing.com ( FISA database )
• World Championships in the eighth
• Portrait the New Zealand Olympic Committee (English)