Finn Hamill Reflects on Fall Success, Sets Sights on 2028 Olympics

Finn Hamill of Waikato Rowing Club in Tauranga, New Zealand has had an incredible fall racing season stateside, winning the Head of the Housatonic in the Open Men’s Single, Head of the Charles in the Men’s Championship Single, and the Redgrave Challenge Men’s Championship Single at Head of the Schuylkill.

“It was great to be able to come and race at the Schuylkill following the Charles,” noted Hamill. “Managing to win all three of these regattas in the single was quite cool. A massive thank you to Dan Schley from New Haven Rowing Club who basically organized everything for me while I was in America, and also allowed me to use his personal single for these races. I had originally only come to America to race at the Charles, but because of Dan, I got to see and do so much more than I ever could’ve anticipated.”

Hamill capped off his racing in the United States this fall with an outstanding showing at Head of the Schuylkill. Not only did he win the men’s championship single, he teamed up with Justin Schmidt, winner of the lightweight men’s single at both HOCR and HOSR, in the men’s double for another first place finish. Hamill finished off the day with a mixed double sculls win with Karolien Florijn, the Paris Olympic women’s single sculls gold medalist.

“From here I head back to New Zealand where I will resume training. I’ll be looking to compete internationally again next year, with sights set on LA 2028.”

Emma Twigg, Paris Olympic silver medalist and Tokyo gold medalist in the women’s single, actually helped Hamill to have the opportunity to race in the United States this fall as a mentor and friend.

“A year ago we sponsored Emma Twigg and Thomas Macintosh in the head of the Charles,” said Daniel Schley from New Haven Rowing Club. “This year the head coach of New Zealand asked us if we would host Emma again and she in turn asked us if we would host a friend of hers. At the time he was an unknown, although he’d just won the world costal championship in the men’s single. We had a marvelous time hosting Finn. He stayed with us for two weeks and went from being a total unknown to being a celebrity.”

Finn Hamill has only just begun to make a name for himself after such extensive success as he starts his journey training for the next Olympic cycle.

“It’s one of the most remarkable stories in the history of Head of the Charles,” stated Schley. “His first ever head race was the Head of the Housatonic. He’d never rowed on the Charles before that weekend, and he crushed it.”

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