Grace Prendergast

Grace Elizabeth Prendergast (born 30 June 1992) is a former New Zealand sweep rower.

She is a 15-time national champion in the premier category, an Olympic champion, a five-time world champion and the current (2022) world champion in the coxless pair.

Prendergast was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1992.

Her parents are Tim and Sally Prendergast.

Her first year of primary school was at Duvauchelle School in the small Banks Peninsula settlement of Duvauchelle, followed by Halswell School in the Christchurch suburb of Halswell.

She grew up in Christchurch, where she started rowing for the Avon Rowing Club in 2007.

She competed at the Tokyo Olympics in two boat classes and won gold in the coxless pair and a silver in the eight and set a new world's best time in the pair.

Various parties, including the World Rowing Federation, expected her to win medals in Tokyo.

She attended Villa Maria College, where she started rowing in 2007.

She studied at Massey University and graduated first with a bachelor and then a master's in business studies, and is currently studying at Queens' College, Cambridge.

Prendergast describes her temperament as "calm" and reserved.

Prendergast started rowing for Villa Maria College in 2007 and, due to the school's affiliation, joined the Avon Rowing Club after she left school.

In 2010, she was chosen for New Zealand's junior team and she competed with the junior women's four at the 2010 World Rowing Junior Championships in Račice, Czech Republic, where they won gold; Eve MacFarlane was part of the team.

A sweep rower, she cannot row stroke side (also known as port side) due to her scoliosis.

Once she was a member of Avon, Prendergast first competed at the New Zealand rowing championships in 2011, when they were held on Lake Ruataniwha.

She competed in two U21 boat classes (coxless four and eight) and one premier boat class (eight) and won gold in all three events.

There was no international rowing for Prendergast in 2011.

At the February 2012 New Zealand rowing championships held on Lake Karapiro, Prendergast competed in four boat classes.

She won gold with the U21 coxless four, and silver with the U21 pair and U21 quad scull.

In the premier class, she defended her national championship title in the eight.

At the 2012 World Rowing U23 Championships in Trakai, Lithuania, she came fourth in the four; Georgia Perry was in the same boat.

At the February 2013 New Zealand rowing championships, Prendergast competed in three premier boat classes, gaining one silver medal (coxless four) and two national championships (coxless pair and eight).

She was picked for the New Zealand elite team to compete in the eight.

The 2013 World Rowing Cup I was held in Sydney, Australia, where they came fifth.

The team then travelled to World Rowing Cup III, which was held on the Rotsee in Switzerland, where they came sixth.

At the 2013 World Rowing Championships on the Tangeum Lake in Chungju, South Korea, they missed the A-final but came first in the B-final (seventh overall).

Since 2014, her rowing partner in the coxless pair has been Kerri Gowler.

Prendergast is also a Boat Race winner, having competed as part of Cambridge University Boat Club's (CUBC) women's crew in 2022.

She retired from professional rowing in October 2022.

At the February 2014 New Zealand rowing championships, Prendergast competed in one U22 and three premier boat classes.

She won gold with the U22 eight.

In the premier quad scull and the premier coxless pair (with Eve MacFarlane), she won silver medals.

In the premier eight, she defended her national title.

During the trials for the national team selection shortly afterwards, she first teamed up with Kerri Gowler in the coxless pair.

She travelled with a New Zealand squad to the 2014 World Rowing Cup III at the Rotsee, where she won a silver medal in the coxless pair with Gowler.

They had started as NZII, with NZI made consisting of Louise Trappitt and Rebecca Scown, but they beat the higher-rated team by five seconds and displaced them to the bronze medal position.

They themselves were beaten by Helen Glover and Heather Stanning from Great Britain, then the reigning Olympic and (in Glover's case) world champions.

Prendergast and Gowler then went to the 2014 World Rowing U23 Championships in Varese, Italy, where they won gold with a massive 13-second lead over an American pair.

Based on this performance, Rowing New Zealand formed a coxless four for the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam in the following month, where Gowler and Prendergast were joined by Kayla Pratt and Kelsey Bevan.

She was the highest ranked female rower in the world twice in a row in 2019 and 2021.