Having started rowing at age 14, with a brother and father already involved in the sport, Twigg’s exploits in rowing are nothing short of extraordinary. Five Olympic Games – all in the single scull – alongside seven World Rowing Championship medals is a testament to longevity, if nothing else. Her mountaintop moment came in Tokyo, where she finally claimed the elusive Olympic gold that her previous nigh-on two decades had been building towards.
Approaching Paris, Twigg was one of the roster’s hottest prospects. She had been engaged in an epic battle of wits with the superlative Dutchwoman Karolin Florijn – herself an Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo – and was one of the sport’s most notable athletes. Therefore, her decision to switch boat manufacturers with mere months to go before a fifth Olympic Games was, put lightly, unusual.
“Simon (Lack) was building boats when I first got into the sport,” explained Twigg. “A couple of years after Rowing New Zealand switched to a single-source supplier, Simon set up SL Racing in Hawkes Bay and has pretty much become the biggest boat manufacturer in New Zealand since then.”
Discussions started before the Tokyo Olympics, with Twigg’s long-standing friendship with Lack enabling the two to think ambitiously about what might be possible if these two brands collaborated. “I was super keen to help SL develop something, but I told him that I’d only race the boat if it was as good or better than the one I was using previously. When you’re dealing with Olympic medals, there can be no false pretenses” said Twigg.
Lack and SL Racing set to work evolving the offering, tweaking the mould and systems within the boat to get it to the point where Twigg felt the boat was on par with the best manufacturers in the world. “He probably sent me eight boats, and every time, I’d send it back with something I didn’t like,” she laughed. “Rowing the shell in Paris was a really proud moment for me. Other boat manufacturers might have been a bit miffed that I was being so picky but the margins at the top level are slim and I wanted to be in a boat that I truly believed in.”
Twigg went on to win a brilliant silver in the summer, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that she quit the sport in 2016 after a second consecutive fourth-placed finish at the Olympic Games. “After Rio, I decided I’d had enough after finishing fourth twice despite investing all this time and effort,” Twigg explained. “I also did a lot of studying and wanted to explore that in more depth. While I was away, I realised I had more to give. In 2018, I decided to come back and try one more time, but only by doing things in the way I’d wanted to do them in previous campaigns.”
Part of that was partnering with a brand and a family in SL Racing that had tracked every step of her journey throughout a long and winding career. As Twigg steps away from the sport – with two Olympic medals, a World Rowing Championship gold and a multitude of domestic and international honours – the future for SL Racing is bright. Although Rowing New Zealand has outstanding relationships in the boat-building world, Simon – and his brother Hamish – share a dream of having more of their shells represented at the Olympic Games.
Twigg is now focused on helping the sport develop, particularly in New Zealand, and growing the base of participation. “I’m done with flat water rowing,” said Twigg. “I have been dabbling with beach sprints, though, and I do think it’s a really exciting space for the sport. There are no boundaries to entry; anyone can jump in and try, even if you’ve never taken a rowing stroke in anger before. The boats come alive on the ocean and that dynamic is so exciting.”
“I’m also so excited to see how SL Racing develops. There is so much white space in our sport, and I know Simon has incredible plans. I’m proud to have helped the brand begin on that international journey.”
