Edward R. Coode, MBE (born 19 June 1975) is a British rower, twice World Champion and Olympic Gold medalist.

Ed Coode
MBE
Personal information
Birth nameEdward Robert Coode
NationalityBritish
Born (1975-06-19) 19 June 1975 (age 48)
Indian Queens, Cornwall, England
Height193 cm (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight96 kg (212 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryUnited Kingdom
SportMen's rowing
EventCoxless four
College teamOxford University Boat Club
ClubLeander Club Imperial College Boat Club
Retired2004
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Coxless four
World Rowing Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 St. Catharines Coxless four
Gold medal – first place 2001 Lucerne Coxless four
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Aiguebelette Coxed four
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Milan Eight

Early life edit

Born in Cornwall in 1975,[1] Coode boarded at Papplewick School[2] and Eton College.[3] He studied marine biology at University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Keble College, Oxford, and rowed in the Oxford crew at the 1998 Boat Race.

Career edit

Coode won his first World Championship in 1999, as a substitute in the British men's coxless four, rowing with Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell. When Tim Foster returned to the four, Coode was put into the coxless pair with Greg Searle. They finished fourth at the 2000 Sydney Olympics having led for most of the race and being overtaken by three crews in the last 600 m, finishing 12/100th of a second (about 2 feet) out of third place.

In 2001, he won a second World Championship in the men's coxless four with Steve Williams, Rick Dunn and Toby Garbett. In 2002, he missed the World Championships due to injury, Josh West taking his place in the coxless four, and was in the men's eight in 2003 that won the bronze at that year's world championships.

With the injury to Alex Partridge, Coode was moved from the eight to the coxless four for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, rowing with Pinsent, Cracknell and Williams. In a close race with World champions Canada, they won gold.

Retirement edit

In October 2004, Coode announced he was retiring from rowing – taking a year out to travel in South America and then study for a law degree at University of the West of England in Bristol.[4] Following two years at university he spent two years as a trainee solicitor at Bristol firm Burges Salmon, before qualifying and joining family law firm Coodes Solicitors, which has branches across Cornwall.

Personal life edit

Coode was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours for services to sport.[5]

On 17 September 2005 Coode married Clare Smales in the St Mary's and St Julian's Church, Maker, Cornwall. They have four children.[citation needed]

Achievements edit

Olympic Games edit

World championships edit

Junior World championships edit

  • 1993 – Silver, Coxless four

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Ed Coode". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Old Papplewickian" (PDF). No. 6. 2006. p. 9.
  3. ^ Jackson, Joanna (2011). A Year in the Life of Windsor and Eton. Francis Lincoln. p. 62. ISBN 9780711229365.
  4. ^ "Ed Coode joins Coodes' Private Client Team". coodes.co.uk. 4 February 2010.
  5. ^ "New Year Honours--United Kingdom", The London Gazette of Thursday 30 December 2004 Supplement No. 1; accessed 28 August 2022.

External links edit