Peter Thomas AntonieOAM (born 11 May 1958) is an Australian former rower. He is an Olympic and Commonwealth games gold medallist and world champion. He is regarded[2] as one of Australia's greatest ever rowers figuring in senior representative squads consistently from 1977 to 1996 and representing Australia on eighteen occasions at three Olympics and fifteen World Rowing Championships. He competed at the highest levels as both a sculler and a sweep oarsman, in both lightweight and open divisions, across all boat classes. He won twenty-nine Australian national championship titles in his career.[2]
Starting out as sweep rower Antonie was selected in the Victorian state representative lightweight four to race the Penrith Cup at the Australian Rowing Championships for four consecutive years 1977 to 1980. Those crews won the interstate championship in 1977 and 1978.[5] At the national championships at those same regattas, Antonie raced for the Melbourne University Boat Club in a lightweight four in 1977, 1978 and 1980. They won the national title in 1977 and 78. At each national championship from 1977 to 1980 he backed up to race in an MUBC lightweight eight, winning in 1978 and 1980.[6]
By 1981 Antonie had switched to sculling and representing the MUBC he raced for the national Australian lightweight sculling title at the Australian Rowing Championships for six consecutive years from 1981. He won that national title on four occasions.[7]
While still an eligible lightweight (max 72.5 kg) by the mid 1980s Antonie was racing at Australian Rowing Championships in all sculling boats against lightweight or open competitors. In 1987 he managed to win three national sculling titles – stroking a quad scull, a double scull and solo in the lightweight single scull. He demonstrated his versatility the following year stroking the Victorian heavyweight men's eight to a King's Cup victory.[8] From 1990 to 1992 he was the Victorian state representative picked to race the President's Cup (open heavyweight single scull) at the Australian Rowing Championships. He won the interstate championship for Victoria in 1991.[9]
From 1977 to 1997 but excepting 1996, Antonie raced at every Australian Rowing Championships and won at least one national title every year. In total he won twenty-nine national championship titles in nine different boat classes.
National representative rowing
Between the commencement of his senior rowing career in 1977 and his final Olympic appearance in 1996, Antonie rowed for Australia every year excepting 1980 and 1995 at the top-level world regatta available for his weight division.
He was picked to row the lightweight single scull for Hazelwinkel 1985 and the following year in the same event, Antonie finally won gold and a World Championship title at Nottingham 1986. At Copenhagen 1987 he came fifth in that same event.
Antonie's first Olympic appearance was at Seoul 1988 where he stroked the quad to fifth place. In 1992 again competing in the open division he won Olympic gold with Stephen Hawkins in the men's double scull at the Barcelona Olympics. He made a third Olympic appearance at Atlanta 1996 again in a double scull. Antonie was selected as an Olympic games reserve for Sydney 2000.[10]
In 2003 the International Rowing Federation awarded Antonie the Thomas Keller Medal for his outstanding international rowing career. It is the sport's highest honour and is awarded within five years of the athlete's retirement, acknowledging an exceptional rowing career and exemplary sportsmanship.
In 2010 he was inducted as a member of the Rowing Victoria Hall of Fame.
