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| Born | (1979-03-03)3 March 1979 (age 46) Halton,Buckinghamshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men'srowing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Oxford University Boat Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Molesey Boat Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Andrew Triggs HodgeOBE (born 3 March 1979) is a British former rower - a three time Olympic champion and four time world champion. In the British coxless four in 2012 he set a world's best time which still stood as of 2023.
Born inHalton,Buckinghamshire, he moved toHebden nearGrassington in 1980. He went to Burnsall Primary School inBurnsall thenUpper Wharfedale School, asecondary modern school inThreshfield. He then completedsixth form atSouth Craven School, a secondary school nearSkipton.[1][2] Before studying Environmental Science at the Stoke campus ofUniversity of Staffordshire where he took up the sport of rowing with the Boat Club[3] onRudyard Lake andSt Catherine's College, Oxford where he undertook anMSc in Water Science, Policy and Management.
Whilst atOxford University, Hodge was a member ofOxford University Boat Club and took part inthe Boat Race in 2005. Both universities had extremely strong intakes that year, with Cambridge boasting several world champions and the Oxford crew including 2004 Olympic silver medallistBarney Williams and eventual Beijing and London coxless four crewmatePete Reed. Oxford, stroked by Hodge, won the epic contest by 2 lengths in a time of 16 minutes 42 seconds.
Hodge won his first senior international vest in 2002. He sat in the four seat of theGreat Britain Eight, which made the final of the World Rowing Championships inSeville. He occupied the same seat a year later when the Eight won the World Cup event at Lucerne, and a bronze medal at the championships inMilan.
2004 was the year that Hodge entered the British rowing scene. The buildup to theAthens 2004 Olympics for the GB Men's Rowing Squad was somewhat disrupted due to illness, injury and variable form. Hodge and his partnerAlex Partridge then won the final selection trials. Partridge was promoted to Britain's top boat until sidelined by injury, Hodge remained in the eight. Illness to the Eight's stroke –Tom James – the night before their Heat in the Olympic competition was a particular blow, and whilst James returned for the repechage, the crew failed to make the final, finishing 9th overall.[4]
Having stroked Oxford to victory in the 2005 Boat Race, Hodge returned to international competition. Following the retirement ofMatthew Pinsent,James Cracknell andEd Coode, a new coxless four was formed with Andrew, his Oxford crewmatePete Reed,Alex Partridge and Olympic ChampionSteve Williams.
Hodge went on to win gold with this crew (Tom James was promoted in place of Alex Partridge) at theBeijing 2008 Olympics, defending Great Britain's title in the event.[4] Post-Olympics Hodge and Reed decided to attempt a pair project with a view to competing at theLondon 2012 Olympics in that event. Due to the emergence of the New Zealand pair ofEric Murray andHamish Bond (future world best time holders and Olympic champions), a gold medal in the event was unlikely and so the pair were moved back into the coxless four in 2012 to strengthen that boat's chances. The crew of Hodge, Reed,Tom James andAlex Gregory went on to win the gold medal at the Olympic rowing regatta[4] and beat their Australian rivals who had pushed them hard through the season.
Hodge was world champion in the men's eight and four during 2013 and 2014 respectively. After being diagnosed withglandular fever during 2015, Hodge was forced to miss the entire racing season. He began his comeback in the autumn of 2015 and was selected to represent Great Britain at theRio 2016 Olympics in the men's eight. After an inconsistent season, the British eight won Olympic gold on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio overGermany and theNetherlands.[4] He announced his retirement after the Olympics.[5][6]
Hodge has been a member ofMolesey Boat Club since 2000 when he moved to London.
Just hours after winning the 2005 World Cup event atDorney Lake,Eton, Hodge made a guest appearance inSt Catherine's College 1st VIII, who were competing inSummer Eights. He was joined in that crew by fellow international competitorsChristopher Liwski andColin Smith. The crewbumpedHertford College that day.[7]
Hodge was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours[8] andOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to rowing.[9][10]
Hodge is married to Dutch physician and former international rower Eeke Thomee.[11][12] They have two children.[6]
