Erik Horrie

Started: He began Para rowing in 2011 on Breakfast Creek in Queensland, Australia. (sydneyrowingclub.com.au, 08 Nov 2014; worldrowing.com, 15 Mar 2013; rowingaustralia.com.au, 11 Nov 2011) Reason: He previously competed in wheelchair basketball but switched to Para rowing when he learned that the sport would feature at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. "When I transferred out of wheelchair basketball I said to my rowing coach, 'I'm going to get to London [2012] and I'm going to get a medal'." (paralympic.org.au, 03 Sep 2012; worldrowing.com, 16 Jun 2012) Ambition: To win a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (arc.rowingaustralia.com.au, 19 Mar 2024) Milestones: He became the first Para rower from any nation to win three medals at the Paralympic Games when he claimed silver in the men's PR1 single sculls at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. He had also won silver medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016. (SportsDeskOnline, 01 Dec 2023; row-360.com, 15 Nov 2021) Awards: He was named Para Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards in Australia. (Rowing Australia Facebook page, 18 Dec 2022) In January 2020 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division [OAM] for services to rowing. (dailymail.co.uk, 26 Jan 2020; rowingaustralia.com.au, 25 Jan 2020) He was named the 2015 Male Rower of the Year by Rowing Australia. (rowingaustralia.com.au, 11 May 2016) In 2015 he won the New South Wales Institute of Sport [NSWIS] Male Athlete of the Year award in Australia. (nswis.com.au, 20 Nov 2015) He was named the 2014 Para Rower of the Year by World Rowing. (worldrowing.com, 18 Dec 2014) In 2013 he won the New South Wales [NSW] Sports Federation Athlete with a Disability Award. (rowingnsw.asn.au, 29 Nov 2013) Additional Info: SEIZURES AT LONDON 2012 After qualifying third in his heat for the arms only single sculls event at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, he suffered a seizure and was taken to hospital. He had two further seizures in the ambulance on the way to hospital and was kept overnight for observation. Following discussions with his medical team and coaches, he decided to compete in the final and believes the incident helped him to win the silver medal. "It took the pressure off me in a way. I was more focused on doing a good race and not focused on the pressure to do well." (rowingaustralia.com.au, 31 Aug 2019; worldrowing.com, 15 Mar 2013) MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES He struggled with his mental health ahead of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which led to him calling a mental health helpline and being placed under suicide watch for 48 hours. "Leading up to Rio, I hit rock bottom. I had separated from my partner, was away from my kids, and I was so focused on winning that gold medal that I didn't realise my whole attitude was just so negative. It took a long time for me to turn things around. Being in hospital was a reality check but I still couldn't see how negative I was and that my anger was affecting the people around me. Even 15 months later at Rio, when I missed out on gold, one of the first things that someone said to me was, 'What happened? You were supposed to win'. It sent me to a dark place. It was expectations. Not just everyone else's but my own. I made one mistake, 210 metres from the line, which cost me that gold medal and everyone kept focusing in on that, but no one had seen what was going on 15 months prior to that. Getting to the podium was a big deal for me. Twelve months before, I thought I was done and felt I had nothing." (row-360.com, 15 Nov 2021; tokyo2020.org, 11 Jun 2020) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has served as a member of the Rowing Australia Athletes' Commission and also as a lifeline community custodian for the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS], a programme that helps raise awareness for mental health issues. "It's very easy to hide how broken you are inside as an athlete, because society focuses on our physical strength, but I want people to see through my story that it is not a weakness to ask for help. I've always told my story about growing up in foster care or becoming a paraplegic, but had never given much thought to how much my own mental health story could make a difference. Talking to people about my story has been cathartic and a way for me to continue healing." (Twitter profile, 20 Feb 2020; rowingaustralia.com.au, 25 Jan 2020; tokyo2020.org, 11 Jun 2020)