| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'srowing | ||
 | 1908 London | Eight |
Raymond Broadley Etherington-Smith (11 April 1877 – 19 April 1913) was anEnglish doctor andrower who competed for Great Britain in the1908 Summer Olympics.[1]
Etherington-Smith was born atPutney. He was educated atRepton School, and before going to university, rowed forLondon Rowing Club, being a member of their Thames Cup crew in 1895 and of the eight that finished second in theGrand Challenge Cup in 1896. He went toTrinity College, Cambridge,[2] where he was a member of thePitt Club.[3] AtCambridge University he won the Colquhoun Sculls, the Lowe Double Sculls, the University Pairs and Fours, and rowed twice Head of the River. In 1898 he rowed forCambridge University Boat Club in theBoat Race, which Oxford won. In 1899, he became President of the C.U.B.C when Cambridge prevented Oxford from gaining their tenth successive victory in the Boat Race and was in the victorious crew again in 1900. AtHenley Royal Regatta, he won theGrand Challenge Cup three times and theStewards' Challenge Cup twice. He was runner-up in theSilver Goblets partneringWilliam Dudley Ward in 1900 and runner-up in theDiamond Challenge Sculls againstF.S. Kelly in 1902.[4] He was captain ofLeander Club four times in 1903, 1905, 1906 and 1908.[5]
Etherington-Smith (nicknamed "Ethel") was captain of the Leandereight, which won the gold medal for Great Britainrowing at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[6] At age thirty-one he apologized to teammateGuy Nickalls who was ten years older: "I suppose they have asked me because I am about half-way down the line between yourself andBucknall in age."[5]
Etherington-Smith trained in medicine and became a demonstrator of anatomy atSt Bartholomew's Hospital, having held the residential appointments, including that of House Surgeon.[5]
He died just after his thirty-sixth birthday from blood poisoning contracted while operating on a patient who had gangrene of the lung.[5]
