Anthony Edwards

Five-time Olympian Anthony John Edwards enjoyed a long career as a rower which just kept getting better.

Anthony is the only rower to have won Olympic medals in both classes of rowing (sweep oared and sculling). Anthony won two Olympic silver medals and one bronze medal.

Anthony was born and educated in Ballarat, Victoria, and started rowing in 1985.

Anthony represented Australia in rowing from 1992 and won the bronze medal in the lightweight double scull at the World Championships in 1995.

Anthony made his Olympic debut at Atlanta in 1996 where he was a bronze medallist in the lightweight double scull.

In the late-1990s, Anthony based himself in Tasmania to train with the national rowing team. Anthony was a member of the lightweight four with Tasmanians Simon Burgess and Darren Balmforth, and Robert Richards, of Ballarat; which won bronze at the World Championships in 1998 and silver at the World Championships in 1999. The crew won the silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

At the Athens Olympics, in 2004, Anthony, Simon Burgess, Ben Cureton and Glen Loftus were the silver medallists who finished second behind Denmark.

In an international career spanning 20 years, Anthony rated the final three years as the best. A highlight of Anthony’s career was winning the Gold Medal at the 2011 World Championships in the lightweight coxless four. In 2010, Anthony won silver at the World Championships in the lightweight coxless four.

Anthony’s fifth Olympics Games was London in 2012. Anthony and crew members Sam Beltz, Ben Cureton and Todd Skipworth, finished in fourth place, less than one second behind the bronze medallists, Denmark.

After the London Olympics, at the age of 39, Anthony decided to retire from rowing after a career that included two world records, a national title in every lightweight boat category, a total of 33 National Championships, including representing Tasmania at National championships and winning three Penrith Cup Titles in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Anthony moved permanently to Tasmania in 2006, worked as State Development Officer for Rowing Tasmania, then as an elite rowing coach at the Tasmanian Institute of Sport, sharing his passion and knowledge to young aspiring rowers of the future.

In 2013, Anthony became president of the Tasmanian Olympic Council.

Anthony enjoys community life in Tasmania and is a member of the New Norfolk Rowing Club and was an ambassador for the active After Schools program.