| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Malcolm William Batten | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 March 1964 (1964-03-12) (age 61) Launceston, Tasmania, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1979–1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rowing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | North Esk RC Commercial Rowing Club Mercantile Rowing Club RMIT Rowing Club | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Malcolm William Batten[1] (born 12 March 1964) is an Australian former state and national champion, World Champion, Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning rower.
Batten was born inTasmania and commenced his rowing career in 1979 as a coxswain with the North Esk Rowing Club inLaunceston. He rowed for a season in 1982 with the Tweed Heads Rowing Club prior to moving to Brisbane and joining the Commercial Rowing Club.[2]
He was one of the firstAustralian Institute of Sport scholarship holders in 1985 and held full AIS scholarships from 1985 to 1988. He moved to Melbourne in 1988 and joined theMercantile Rowing Club. In 1988 he was one of the founders of theRMIT Rowing Club.[2]
Wearing club colours but racing in AIS combinations Batten competed for national titles at theAustralian Rowing Championships in pairs and fours from 1986. He won the Australian national title in AIScoxless four in 1987 and 1988.[3] He stroked AIS eights to victory in Queensland state championships in 1988, 1989 and 1990 with that 1988 crew also winning the New South Wales state championship that year.[2]
Batten competed twice at theAustralian Rowing Championships in the men's Interstate Eight-Oared Championship – the King's Cup. He stroked the Queensland King's Cup eight in 1988 and he raced in the victorious Victorian crew of 1990.[4]
Batten's first national representative selection was to the 1985 Match des Seniors inBanyoles, Spain – the equivalent at the time of today'sWorld Rowing U23 Championships. Batten stroked the Australian men's eight to a silver medal.[5] That same crew represented Australia in the men's eight selected for the 1985 Trans-Tasman U/23 regatta held onLake Ruataniwha in New Zealand.[6]
Batten's first senior representative selection was to1986 World Rowing Championships inNottingham, England. He rowed in the two seat of the victorious Australian men'seight. It was Australia's first and only World Championship title in the men's eight.[7] That same year at the1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, in that same crew Batten won gold in the Australian men's VIII.[8]
At the1987 World Rowing Championships in Copenhagen Batten was again in the two seat of Australian eight. That crew placed fourth.[9]
For the1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Batten was beaten out for his seat in the Australian men's eight by South Australian rowerHamish McLachlan. Batten andSam Patten were selected in the squad as reserves for the eight and qualified acoxless pair. They raced in heats at the Seoul Olympics but were eliminated in the repechage.[10]
His final national representative racing was as the stroke of the men's eight for the1991 World Rowing Championships in Vienna. They finished tenth.[9]
Following competitive retirement Batten coached atSt Catherine's School, Toorak from 1992 to 1994. Since 2011 he has been the president ofMercantile Rowing Club.[2]
He is a partner and managing director of the Melbourne headquartered international construction business Cockram Construction. Since 2017 that company has been part owned by the Japanese international firmKajima.[11]
Full name: Malcolm William Batten
