Mark Hunter

Rowing2008 Olympic Gold Medallist

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Olympic Gold medallist, Mark Hunter is the personification of sheer determination. Having started rowing at the tender age of 14, it was another 14 years before Mark would realise his dream of standing on the podium at the ultimate sporting event, the Olympic Games.

Having tasted the bitter pill of failure at the Athens Games in 2004, many would have forgiven Mark if he had walked away from the sport he loved. Coming last in any race hurts, coming last in the race that means more to you than all the rest put together can destroy. Mark Hunter emerged from this, the toughest period in his career, stronger, wiser and more determined than ever.

Although a leading lightweight rower, Mark didn’t start to experience real success until 2007. Partnering Zac Purchase in the double, their performance at the World Cup series was rewarded with two silvers and a bronze. A great season was then capped with a bronze at the World Championships in Munich. It was the turning point Mark had been striving for.

2008 brought further success at the World Cup series when the medals turned to gold. With the Beijing Olympic Games on the horizon, Mark was selected in the lightweight double scull. The stage was set for history to be made and Mark did not disappoint. Britain won its first ever medal in the lightweight doubles and Mark realised his dream; he became an Olympic champion.

In detail

Having enjoyed football at county level, swimming and various martial arts, Mark was 14 years old when he decided to direct all his time and effort into rowing. The future was looking good when he won the junior 16 single at the 1994 National Championships and gained a place in the Great Britain-France U16 Team. The following year, he captured his first of two consecutive Fawley Cup wins at the Henley Royal Regatta, in addition to racing for Great Britain in the quadruple scull at the 1995 and 1996 World Junior Championships. But it would be another twelve years before his dream would become a reality.

Hunter had trained at Leander Club, the most prestigious and successful rowing club in the world, for numerous years and was elected captain at the start of 2005. A position he would hold for the next three years.

Whilst training to be an Olympic champion, Mark took on a six year apprenticeship to become a licensed Waterman & Lighterman on the River Thames. Since then, he has become a Freeman of the Thames, allowing him to transport passengers or cargo anywhere on the Thames as a captain/skipper. In the spring of 2000, during his apprenticeship, Mark competed in the Millennium Coat and Badge double sculls race. With his finals partner, he won the event and was presented with a special uniform at a traditional ceremony dinner held at Fishmongers Hall in London.

What he offers you

As an Olympic Gold medallist, Mark Hunter brings with him a story of success but, more importantly, he is acutely aware of what it takes to achieve. Sacrifice, failure, hard work, determination and a brutal diet all contribute Mark’s remarkable story. He is a consummate professional, his presentations illustrate the devotion necessary to achieve the goal of Olympic Gold. It is a story that has proved to impress, inspire and motivate his audiences.

How he presents