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He is one of Australia’s most successful Para-athletes having won a silver medal at the last two Paralympics and five gold medals and two bronze at the World Championships in the P1 men’s single sculls.
He was the 2014 World Rowing Para-Rower of the Year, the 2018 Rowing Australia Para-Rower of the Year and in 2020 was bestowed the Order of Australia Medal for his services to rowing.
He’s a complex character, passionate about his sport and his own performance, but can also rub people up the wrong way. He is articulate and open about his life, his disability and the ups and downs of his career.
And he’s the first to admit he isn’t always the easiest person to be around. But, whether by design or not, Erik Horrie is turning into a leader that Para-rowing can be proud of.
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Horrie’s coach of nine years, Jason Baker, has seen first-hand the development of his student, from some of the lowest lows to reaching the peak of his sport.
“He’s changed a lot as an athlete and as a person,” Baker said. “He’s more mature, more level, he’s more experienced as an athlete now and I guess it’s hard to separate those two.”
Baker said Horrie had learned to be more selective about where he invests his energy.
“He lets a lot of stuff go that used to wind him up a lot, he worries a lot less about the little things,” he said.
“Now his motivation is just a bit cleaner, a bit more personal. He wants to row well, he just loves the sport, he wants to do it for his family so it hasn’t got that angry edge to it anymore. He’s still an incredible competitor and he’s still got all that stuff but he’s just a bit of a better person.”
Horrie is still super-competitive and focused on his own goals. He still expects others to meet his level of commitment. But Horrie is also incredibly sharing of his experience to other members of Australia’s Para-rowing crew. When he tells his story, you can hear a pin drop as everyone hangs off every word.
Rowing Australia’s Para- Rowing Head Coach Gordon Marcks has also noted Horrie’s development over the past 10 years and agrees that Horrie’s experience has led to a natural leadership role as he has grown as a person.
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“Just by being around, it’s really nice to see him and Kat (Ross, three-time Paralympic rower) have a positive experience,” Marcks said.
Horrie’s leadership has been a welcome addition to the Para-rowing team. His drive and singular attention to the competition remains as Friday approaches. He will go through his race day preparations as he does every other race, warm up, rest and mentally prepare and then, in the boat to the start line, powering through the 2000 metre course with everything he’s got.
That’s what Horrie and Baker have planned. When the Paralympic regatta starts, he will lead by performance, not by words. And who knows, that elusive Paralympic gold medal just might be his.
By: Jodie Hawkins, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 26 August 2021
