Erik
Horrie

Being a Paralympian means everything to Erik Horrie, and being a Paralympic medallist means even more.

He first had the honour of calling himself one nearly a decade ago. After having promised himself years earlier that he would win a medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, nothing – not even a seizure on the day before the men’s single sculls AS final – was going to stop Erik from seeing the Australian flag raised at Dorney Lake.

When he returned home from London with a silver medal, Erik was more hungry than ever to become the best Para-rower in the world. He left no stone unturned as he chased and attained world champion status at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju, South Korea, and held that form over the next five years to defend his world title in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

He won another silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, coming in second behind Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi in the PR1 men’s single scull.

At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Erik cemented himself as Australia’s most successful Para-rower, with silver in the PR1 men’s single scull, adding to his two silver medals from the two previous Games. He is the first Australian rower to win three Paralympic medals.

His ultimate goal is to be remembered for leaving Para-rowing in better shape than it was when he started. As one of the most successful Para-rowers that Australia has ever seen, the impact that Erik has had on his sport is second to none.