16 August 2022
By Göran R Buckhorn
His name is Bond, Hamish Bond, and he has just joined the Blue Devil’s rowing as a volunteer coach.
Last week, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, announced that three-time Olympic gold medallist Hamish Bond, 36, has joined the university’s rowing coaching staff as a volunteer.
“I’m thrilled to have Hamish Bond join our exceptional staff,” said Megan Cooke Carcagno, Duke rowing’s head coach. “His incredible skills as an athlete and abilities as an oarsman will be highly beneficial to our team. Hamish has established himself as a legend in modern rowing, and I look forward to having his expertise help Duke hit the next level. I can’t think of a better rower to help coach our team. Welcome to Duke!”
Together with Eric Murray, Bond took two Olympic gold medals in the coxless pair for New Zealand in London and Rio de Janeiro. Thereafter, they both retired from rowing, but Bond came back to race in New Zealand’s eight in the Tokyo Games where the crew became Olympic champions.
Bond and Murray’s success started at the world championships in 2007 when they, with Carl Meyer and James Dallinger, won the gold medal in the coxless four. The four also raced at the 2008 Games in Beijing where they won the B-final (placing 7th).
Starting in 2009, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray began a long winning streak in the coxless pair, becoming world champions in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2014, they also rowed in the coxed pair (coxed by Caleb Shepherd). The two New Zealanders hold the record for most consecutive wins with 69. In 2018, FISA/World Rowing awarded them the Thomas Keller Medal, the highest award in the sport of rowing.