Sarah Outhwaite was born in Perth and began rowing when she was 14-years-old. She studied environmental science and agriculture in school, but continued to row, making her first international appearance at the 2000 World Juniors, when she won a silver in the junior women’s coxless four. She competed at three Olympics (2004-12), the first as Sarah Outhwaite, and the final two as Sarah Tait, finally winning an Olympic medal at London with a silver in the coxless pairs. At the senior international level her greatest victory came in winning a gold medal in the eights at the 2005 World Championships. She added a silver medal in the coxless pairs at that event and returned to add a bronze in coxless pairs at the 2011 Worlds.
After her marriage to Bill Tait, Outhwaite-Tait had two children, a girl in 2009 and a boy in 2013. Shortly after the second pregnancy she was diagnosed with cervical (uterine) cancer. She retired from rowing in February 2014 to concentrate on fighting the disease but it took her life when she was only 33-years-old.
Australia