Athlete Modern
Doey, Richard
SPORT | Rowing
YEAR OF INDUCTION | 2002
(1956 – )
Richard Doey was born in Chatham, participated in volleyball, football, and basketball while at Chatham Collegiate, took up rowing while at university, and went on to represent Canada in the Olympics.
Career Highlights
1978 to 1980
1978 – began rowing in final year at McMaster University, participating in the Novice Men’s 8+ and at season’s end, was awarded the Crew’s “Oarsman of the Year Award”
1979 – lived and trained at St. Catharines which is the home of the Canadian Henley Championship Course – participated in the National Rowing Team testing sessions
1980 – participated in the Olympic Trials in Vancouver for the Games in Moscow, Russia – in March, the United States, Canada, and other nations boycotted the Moscow Olympics and sent no representatives to the Games – returned to St. Catharines to compete for the club team and his 4-man crew won both the Senior Canadian National Men’s Championship and the U.S. National Men’s Championship
1981 to 1988
1981 – returned to university to work on an Honours Business Administration degree at Brock University in St. Catharines – for 2 years coached and rowed for the Brock crew – repeated as Canadian National Champions in Men’s 4
1982 – coached and rowed for Brock University’s crew – at end of year was named Brock’s “Oarsman of the Year” – repeated as Canadian National Champion in Men’s 4 for third consecutive year
1983 – earned spot on Canadian National Rowing Team – raced in Men’s coxed pair in Caracas, Venezuela missing a bronze medal by 1 foot after covering the 2000 meter
course
1984 – for first 3 months, lived and trained in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. with 29 other potential National Team members vying for 22 rowing positions – secured a position with Men’s 4 with Coxswain along with 4 members of the powerful University of Victoria Men’s Crew – in May, team won first Olympic qualifier in Montreal against other Canadian challenge teams – in June, in the second qualifier in Lucerne, Switzerland team had to finish in the top 6 to qualify for the Olympics – the team came second in its heat and qualified – in August, competed in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles placing fifth, 1 and a half seconds off a bronze medal
1988 – returned to racing with a group of 8 from Toronto Argonaut Rowing Club at Henley on Thames in England which is the World’s Oldest Regatta
1994
retired from competitive racing after 6 years rowing his own single shell in numerous North American Regattas
Doey still rows for fitness on the Thames River in London, Ontario where he lives with his wife and daughter.