The name Olaf Tufte has become synonymous with rowing for decades, and not just in his home country of Norway, but internationally. Recently retired after 26 years of elite rowing, Tufte is the recipient of the 2021 Thomas Keller medal.
The win is even more significant as he was up against arguably two of the very best single scullers in rowing ever – two-time Olympic Champions Mahe Drysdale (New Zealand) and Ekaterina Karsten (Belarus).
“This was really a big surprise for me,” said Tufte after receiving the award. “The winners of the Thomas Keller Medal have always been my idols. They’ve been the pioneers, showing us young rowers how to act on the course and off the course. So to be acknowledged for the things I became because of the rowing family.
“I have two families, I have the Tufte family, but my biggest family is the rowing family. And as I say ‘If you pull on an oar you’re a rower and you’re part of my family’. Rowing is the reason I became the person I am.”
The win is even more significant as he was up against arguably two of the very best single scullers in rowing ever – two-time Olympic Champions Mahe Drysdale (New Zealand) and Ekaterina Karsten (Belarus).
“This was really a big surprise for me,” said Tufte after receiving the award. “The winners of the Thomas Keller Medal have always been my idols. They’ve been the pioneers, showing us young rowers how to act on the course and off the course. So to be acknowledged for the things I became because of the rowing family.
“I have two families, I have the Tufte family, but my biggest family is the rowing family. And as I say ‘If you pull on an oar you’re a rower and you’re part of my family’. Rowing is the reason I became the person I am.”
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