Zoe McBride (born 27 September 1995) is a former New Zealandrower.[2] She is a double world champion in the women's lightweight single scull. She is only the second New Zealand rower to win a double national championship in both the lightweight and premier single sculls.
McBride was born in 1995 in Nelson, where she attended St Joseph's School.[3] She and her family moved toDunedin when she was 13,[3] where her father Dene McBride works at Port Otago Ltd.[4] She attendedKavanagh College from where she graduated in 2013, and spent two months attendingSt Peter's School inCambridge in order to train atLake Karapiro.[5] She lives in Cambridge and is a part-time student atMassey University.[3]
McBride took up rowing in 2009.[6] She was an outstanding competitor in theMaadi Cup, the annual New Zealand secondary schools rowing regatta, where she won three gold medals each in 2011 and 2012, and four gold medals in 2013.[5] McBride first represented New Zealand at theWorld Rowing Junior Championships in2012 inPlovdiv, Bulgaria, where she gained a bronze medal with thequadruple sculls (with Nathalie Hill,Ruby Tew, andHannah Osborne).[7] She trained at Lake Karapiro and then represented New Zealand at the World Rowing Junior Championships in2013 inTrakai, Lithuania.[8] She competed in the junior women's quad scull and the team came fifth in the final.[9] She represented New Zealand at the World Rowing U23 Championships in2014 inVarese, Italy, in the lightweight double sculls withSophie MacKenzie, where they won gold.[10]
For the 2014 year, McBride was a finalist in theHalberg Awards in the 'Emerging Talent Award' category.[11]
At the 2017 New Zealand rowing nationals atLake Ruataniwha, she became national champion in both the lightweight and premier open single sculls. She is the second New Zealand rower to achieve this feat, with the previous double taken byPhilippa Baker in the 1987–88 season.[17] At the2017 World Rowing Championships inSarasota, Florida, she won a silver medal in the lightweight double sculls partnered with Jackie Kiddle.[18] At the2018 World Rowing Championships inPlovdiv, Bulgaria, McBride and Kiddle came sixth in the lightweight double sculls.[19]
In March 2021, McBride announced her retirement.[20] McBride later revealed she had been struggling withrelative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) while trying to keep under the 57 kg (126 lb) lightweight standard.[21]
