Seán Drea
{{Short description|Irish rower (born 1947)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name =
| image = Sean Drea 1976.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Drea with his 1976 Holland Beker trophy at Bosbaan
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1947|3|2}}
| birth_place = Bagnalstown, Ireland{{FISA|id=2819|name=Sean DREA}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{convert|1.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|98|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| sport = Rowing
| club = Neptune Rowing Club, Dublin
| alma_mater =
| show-medals = yes
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport | Men's rowing }}
{{MedalCountry | {{IRL}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Rowing Championships }}
{{MedalSilver | 1975 Nottingham | Single sculls }}
}}
Seán Joseph Drea (born 3 March 1947{{Cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/dr/sean-drea-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418104611/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/dr/sean-drea-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Seán Drea |accessdate=23 February 2010}}) is a former Olympic rower and world record holder from Ireland, specialising in the single scull. He won the Diamond Challenge Sculls (the premier singles sculls event) three years in a row at the Henley Royal Regatta, where he set the course record, and was the first Irish rower to win a World Championship medal securing silver in the 1975 World Championships.{{cite web |url=http://www.sport-komplett.de/sport-komplett/sportarten/r/rudern/hst/77.html |title=Rudern – Weltmeisterschaften. Einer – Herren |trans-title=Rowing – World Championships. One – Men |language=German |website=Sport-Komplett.de |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106061407/http://www.sport-komplett.de/sport-komplett/sportarten/r/rudern/hst/77.html |archivedate=6 January 2015 }}
Biography
Drea lives in Greystones,{{Cite news |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/carlownationalist/2009/02/11/story35546.asp |title=Sean Drea calls on Carlow stars to believe |date=11 February 2009 |work=Carlow Nationalist |accessdate=25 February 2010}} and is originally from Bagenalstown, County Carlow. He tried many sports before joining Neptune Rowing Club after moving to Dublin to work in advertising. He later moved to Philadelphia, where he attended St. Joseph's University on a sports scholarship and also rowed for Vesper Boat Club. He lost to Aleksandr Timoshinin in the final of the 1972 Diamond Sculls when the steering fin broke off his boat. At the 1972 Olympics, he came seventh. In 1974, he won the U.S. national championships,{{Cite journal |date=26 August 1974 |title=A Roundup Of The Week Aug. 12–18 |journal=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1088923/2/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604120125/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1088923/2/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 June 2011}} and was the favorite for the World Championships in Rotsee;{{Cite journal |date=16 September 1975 |title=A Roundup Of The Week Sept. 2–8 |journal=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090199/2/index.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718233931/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090199/2/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 July 2012}} however he withdrew for an emergency kidney stone removal.{{Cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2000/0814/00081400169.html |title=Olympic Evolution: Number 4 – Rowing |date=14 August 2000 |first=Johnny |last=Watterson |work=The Irish Times |accessdate=25 February 2010}}{{Cite journal |date=8 September 1975 |title=...but Not In Nottingham |journal=Sports Illustrated |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090199/2/index.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718233931/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1090199/2/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 July 2012}}{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qc4RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NO0DAAAAIBAJ&dq=sean-drea&pg=4125%2C4051069 |date=9 September 1974 |title=Surgery for Drea |work=The Spokesman-Review |pages=25 |accessdate=25 February 2010 |location=Spokane, Washington}} At the 1975 World Championships, he finished second to Peter-Michael Kolbe. At the 1976 Olympics, he broke the 2000 m world record in the semi-final with a time of 6:52.46. However, he finished fourth in the final after a poor third quarter.
Drea spent years in Philadelphia as a coach for the US national team,{{Cite web |last=Silverberg |first=Lee |date=19 May 2008 |title=A Very Brief History of the Fairmount Rowing Association |url=http://fairmountrowing.org/history/ |accessdate=6 January 2015 |publisher=Fairmount Rowing Association}} Fairmount Rowing Association, La Salle University and subsequently the Irish National team. He also rowed in the Head of the River Race in 1997 with a veteran Schuylkill Navy crew.{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rowing-redgrave-and-pinsent-pair-up-1274368.html |title=Rowing: Redgrave and Pinsent pair up |last=Matheson |first=Hugh |date=22 March 1997 |work=The Independent |publisher=London |accessdate=25 February 2010}} Today, Drea lives in Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland and runs an organic farming business.
Sean's son Jack Drea rowed for Oxford Brookes University{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/rowing-brookes-boat-beats-dublin-as-wind-takes-toll-on-crews-551688.html |title=Rowing: Brookes boat beats Dublin as wind takes toll on crews |date=1 July 2004 |first=Christopher |last=Dodd |work=The Independent |accessdate=25 February 2010}} and won the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2006 and competed in the Ladies Challenge Plate in a Oxford Brookes & Oxford University composite in 2007. Jack also represented Ireland in rowing.
Sean’s eldest son David Drea rowed for Trinity College Dublin.
Record
References
{{Commons category|Seán Drea}}
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drea, Sean}}
Category:Olympic rowers for Ireland
Category:Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Category:Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Category:Saint Joseph's University alumni
Category:Sportspeople from County Carlow
Category:World Rowing Championships medalists for Ireland