Tara Rigney
{{Short description|Australian rower (born 1999)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Tara Rigney
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1999|3|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = Westminster, London, UK
| hometown = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| years_active = 2019–current
| height = 182 cm
| weight =
| country = Australia
| sport = Rowing
| club = Sydney University Boat Club
| coach = Ellen Randell
| nationals = Nell Slatter trophy 2021
Aust Champion W2X 2021
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Women's rowing}}
{{MedalCountry|{{AUS}}}}
{{MedalComp|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|2023 Belgrade|Single sculls}}
{{MedalBronze|2022 Račice|Single sculls}}
}}
Tara Rigney (born 30 March 1999) is an Australian representative rower. A sculler, she is a three-time Australian national champion, a two-dual world championship medallist and a 2021 Tokyo Olympian and 2024 Paris Olympian who competed in the Australian women's Double-Scull and Single Scull events respectively.
Early life and education
Tara Rigney was born on 30 March{{cite web |title=Tara Rigney |website=World Rowing |url=https://worldrowing.com/athlete/53400 |access-date=3 August 2024 |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022144349/https://worldrowing.com/athlete/53400 |url-status=live }} in Westminster, London, England.{{cite web |title=Tara Rigney |website=Australian Olympic Committee |url=https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/tara-rigney/ |access-date=3 August 2024 |archive-date=31 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731032956/https://www.olympics.com.au/olympians/tara-rigney/ |url-status=live }}{{cite interview |title=Rowing together with... Tara Rigney |first=Tara |last=Rigney |website=rowforaneducation.org |date=20 October 2023 |url=https://rowforaneducation.org/en/remamos-juntos-con-tara-rigney/ |access-date=3 August 2024}}
She attended at Loreto Kirribilli school in Sydney, where she took up rowing, although in her senior years she played netball for the school.{{Cite web |url=https://rowinghistory-aus.info/school-rowing/nsw/schoolgirls-head-of-river/year-8-coxed-quad-div-1-summary |title=Guerin-Foster Janet Freeman trophy history |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=14 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514141121/https://rowinghistory-aus.info/school-rowing/nsw/schoolgirls-head-of-river/year-8-coxed-quad-div-1-summary |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Footy's head knocks are ruining lives |date=22 February 2013 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112063846/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/footys-head-knocks-are-ruining-lives-20130222-2ewj9.html |archive-date=12 January 2019 |url-status=live |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/footys-head-knocks-are-ruining-lives-20130222-2ewj9.html}}
She later rowed for the Sydney University Boat Club.[https://www.subc.com.au/post/17-subc-athletes-invited-to-olympic-trials SUBC 2021 post]
State rowing
Rigney's state representative debut for New South Wales came in 2019, when she was selected in the state women's youth VIII which raced and won the Bicentennial Cup at the Interstate Regatta.{{Cite web |url=https://www.australianrowinghistory.com.au/interstate-championships/2019.php#WYth |title=2019 Australian Interstate Regatta |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214049/https://www.australianrowinghistory.com.au/interstate-championships/2019.php#WYth |url-status=dead }}
In 2021, following a dominant performance at the New South Wales state titles,[https://www.subc.com.au/post/17-subc-athletes-invited-to-olympic-trials SUBC 2021 post ] she was selected as the NSW senior women's sculling representative for the Interstate Regatta. She won that national title, the Nell Slatter trophy.{{Cite web |url=https://ra.rowingmanager.com/?regatta;file=15367 |title=2021 Interstate Regatta |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503122220/https://ra.rowingmanager.com/?regatta;file=15367 |url-status=dead }} At that same regatta, she won an Australian Championship title in the double scull with Amanda Bateman. {{Cite web |url=https://ra.rowingmanager.com/?regatta;file=15359 |title=Australian Rowing Championships results |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503131434/https://ra.rowingmanager.com/?regatta;file=15359 |url-status=dead }} In a quad scull contesting the 2021 open women's quad title, she finished in second place.{{Cite web |url=https://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/national-championships/2021 |title=Guerin-Foster Australian Championships 2021 |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=22 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210622201105/https://rowinghistory-aus.info/national-championships/2021 |url-status=live }}
She won the open women's national single scull title at the 2023 Australian Rowing Championships[https://rowingmanager.com/?regatta;file=18565 2023 Australian Rowing Championships results] as well as the open double scull title racing with Rowena Meredith. That year, she was again selected as NSW's single scull representative at the Interstate Regatta and won that national title.[https://rowingmanager.com/regattas/5866/results 2023 Australian Rowing Championships]
International representative rowing
Rigney made her Australian representative debut in 2019 when she was picked for the World Rowing U23 Championships in Sarasota in a coxless pair. That crew finished in tenth place.{{Cite web |url=https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2019-u23-australian-rowing-team/ |title=2019 selection |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419204800/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2019-u23-australian-rowing-team/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.australianrowinghistory.com.au/world-u23-championships/2019-Sarasota.php |title=Guerin-Foster 2019 U23 WChampionships |access-date=28 May 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602212628/https://www.australianrowinghistory.com.au/world-u23-championships/2019-Sarasota.php |url-status=dead }}
After the New South Wales Institute of Sport identified Rigney as having potential, she was invited to join the women's national training centre at Penrith in 2021.
By the time of national team selections in 2021 for the delayed Tokyo Olympics, Rigney's strong performances at that year's Australian Championships saw her selected to join Amanda Bateman who had already qualified for Australia's double scull boat class during the 2019 international representative season.{{Cite web |url=https://rowingaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Copy-of-2021-Australian-Team-as-nominated-5.3.2021.pdf |title=Rowing Australia 2021 Olympic Team |access-date=18 May 2021 |archive-date=18 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518130323/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Copy-of-2021-Australian-Team-as-nominated-5.3.2021.pdf |url-status=dead }} Bateman and Rigney placed third in their heat, fifth in the semi-final and won the petite final for an overall seventh-place finish at the Olympic regatta.{{Cite web |url=https://worldrowing.com/athlete/tara-rigney?id=53400 |title=Rigney at World Rowing |access-date=26 July 2022 |archive-date=26 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726113825/https://worldrowing.com/athlete/tara-rigney?id=53400 |url-status=live }} They were coached by Ellen Randall.
Rigney was selected in the Australian sculling squad for the 2022 international season and the 2022 World Rowing Championships.{{Cite web |url=https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2022/03/12/australian-rowing-team-named-for-2022-world-rowing-cups |title=Australian Rowing Team Named for 2022 World Rowing Cups |website=rowingaustralia.com.au |date=12 March 2022 |access-date=4 April 2022 |archive-date=22 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322083408/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/2022/03/12/australian-rowing-team-named-for-2022-world-rowing-cups/ |url-status=dead }} Racing as Australia's single scull entrant, she won bronze at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan and then took silver at the WRC III in Lucerne. At the 2022 World Rowing Championships at Racize, she raced as Australia's representative single sculler. She qualified for the A final and raced to a third place and a bronze medal at the World Championships.
In March 2023 Rigney was again selected in the Australian women's sculling squad for the 2023 international season.{{Cite web |url=https://rowingaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-Senior-and-Para-World-Cup-Team_17.3.23_FINAL_web.pdf |title=2023 Australian Squad announcement |access-date=14 March 2025 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403064731/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-Senior-and-Para-World-Cup-Team_17.3.23_FINAL_web.pdf |url-status=dead }} At the WRC II in Varese, Italy she raced as Australia's 1X entrant and won the silver medal. She backed up that performance three weeks later at the WRCIII in Lucerne, winning her heat and semi-final and taking the silver medal in the W1X final behind 2022 world-champion Karolien Florijn. Rigney was Australia's single scull choice at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She dominated her heat on day 1 and won her quarter-final. She placed 2nd in the A/B semi-final at which point she qualified an Australian W1X boat for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the A final at the 500m mark she was second behind the eventual winner Karolien Florijn but was then also headed by Emma Twigg. She held that third place through to the finish, won the bronze medal and a third place world ranking from the regatta.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{World Rowing}}
- {{Rowing Australia|tara-rigney}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20231118034857/https://rowingaustralia.com.au/athleteprofile/tara-rigney/ archive])
- {{AOC profile|tara-rigney}}
- {{Olympics.com}}
- {{Olympedia}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20241007124240/https://www.olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/tara-rigney_1945694 Tara Rigney] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived, [https://paris2024.rtve.es/es/paris-2024/atleta/tara-rigney_1945694 alternate link])
- {{TikTok}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigney, Tara}}
Category:Australian female rowers
Category:Olympic rowers for Australia
Category:Rowers at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Category:Rowers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:World Rowing Championships medalists for Australia
Category:People educated at Loreto Kirribilli