Ollie Cook

About me

I learned to row at Eton Excelsior Rowing Club in Windsor before rowing at Abingdon School. I then took a gap year in South Africa, where I taught at St Andrews College and in the Mkhanda township. During this time, I also rowed for Rhodes University, where we won the Grand Vaal Regatta in Pretoria. Later, I attended LSE for my undergraduate studies, where I played rugby for a year before returning to rowing. In 2011, I participated in the first Row Zambezi expedition before becoming the men's captain of the University of London Boat Club for the 2011/12 season. I joined the senior GB rowing team in 2012 after the London Olympics, participating in an Olympic cycle where we ultimately won the world championships in 2016, and I served as a spare for the Rio Olympic team. Subsequently, I pursued a master's degree at Oxford, where I won the Boat Race with my brother Jamie. Following that, I engaged in a second Olympic campaign, primarily competing in the coxless four, with which we won the European Championships and secured third place at the World Championships, and fourth place at the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games. I retired from full-time rowing in 2022 after winning the coastal World Championships. Since then, I have been involved in setting up the Oxford SDG Impact Lab, focusing on creating impactful projects with external partners to the university.

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Motivations

It is difficult to think of something better to be doing! The idea of being part of a team of really interesting people, taking on a challenge together, and seeing a new part of the world, all while rowing. I couldn't be more excited!

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Worries

I am worried about the reality of a challenging expedition: the long distances involved, keeping everyone motivated, and being adaptable when the going gets tough/