Rowing: Cancer claims man with gift for speed

Harry Mahon, the inspirational rowing coach who plotted the New Zealand eights' back-to-back world championship titles in the 1980s, has lost his long battle with cancer.

Mahon, 59, died in England at the weekend.

A legendary figure in rowing, he coached New Zealand crews to two golds, a silver, and a bronze at world championships.

He also guided Cambridge University to unprecedented success in the annual Boat Race against Oxford University, and spearheaded British rowers to victory at last year's Sydney Olympics.

Former Rowing NZ chief executive Mike Stanley, who crewed the 1982 and 1983 world championship eight gold medallists, said: "My abiding memory of Harry was his enthusiasm for helping rowers go fast.

"He was passionate about rowing and finding the 'trick' of making the boat go faster. He made an outstanding contribution to the sport in New Zealand."

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics he guided the New Zealand women's coxless pair of Nikki Payne (now Mills) and Lynley Hannan (now Coventry) to bronze and had a hand in preparing the Swiss duo who finished second in the men's double sculls that year.

Mahon, a fulltime coach since 1986, left New Zealand in the late 1980s to accept a job as Switzerland's national coach. He returned to New Zealand in 1994 to become the national director of coaching, a position he held until 1996 when he went to South Africa and Britain, as demand for his services continued.

Mahon was instrumental in ending Oxford's domination of the Boat Race, and in British success at the Sydney Olympics last year.

Kieran West, a member of Britain's gold medal-winning eight in Sydney, said it was Mahon's influence that helped fellow oarsmen take their performances to new heights.

West said Mahon's battle with bowel cancer had helped inspire the British eight to victory in Sydney. "Our cox, Rowley Douglas, said to us when we were waiting for the start, 'Guys, we need the mental toughness of Harry Mahon. If we had eight of him in the boat, there is no question we'd be up to it'."

Typically, Mahon downplayed his input at Sydney. "I don't want to get too excited - the guys really did all the hard work, it's their achievement," he said.

When he was head-hunted by Cambridge in 1992, Oxford had won 16 of the previous 17 races.

After Mahon taught Cambridge a new style they won seven consecutive boat races from 1993. NZPA

* Obituary, Last Word, on Saturday.