Matt is a four time Olympian rower with a bronze, silver and gold medal to his name. He’s won international titles in every
Matt Langridge four time Olympian rower
Olympic boat class – both sculling and sweep in his 15 year career.
We discuss life after rowing, what it’s like having Jurgen Grobler as your coach and why rowing is addictive.
Listen to RowingChat with Matt on SoundCloud
Timestamps to the interview
01:00 Introduction and background in rowing
02:00 My first coach at Northwich Rowing Club – Paul Rafferty
04:00 My best 3 rowing career years – 2016. 2001 and 2011
07:00 Switching from sculling to sweep
10:00 Mistakes I learned from – getting ill and injured and learning to train consistently
16:00 Changes I noticed when maturing as an athlete
18:00 A day in the life of a GB squad rower
21:00 Having no part in decision making about my crew and training was a challenge
23:00 What is Jurgen Grobler like as a coach? “You have your fingerprint – getting the best out of your fingerprint.”
27:00 What made you move to Leander Club?
30:00 World Class Start is a talent ID scheme – I don’t entirely agree with fast-tracking athletes
37:00 Why rowing is addictive. It’s an honest sport
43:00 British Rowing is a closed system and secretive is this a disadvantage? “We never want to give our competitors a reason to train harder.”
48:00 Does retirement beckon?
50:00 Is career transition advice available within British Rowing?
52:00 What is our cycling plan?
55:00 Can rowing develop new formats for racing?
