Tim Foster

The first Briton to win two gold medals at the World Junior Championship, Tim Foster was a world championship medalist in his first year of senior competition as part of the British eight in 1989. He was a regular member of the eight up to and including the 1992 Olympic Games and helped the crew to sixth place in the final at Barcelona. Whilst Foster was regarded as being a brilliant technical rower, he lacked the raw strength and power of many of his peers and was always prone to injury. This was evident when he missed the entire 1993 season when he was forced to have a serious operation on his back. Foster returned to action in 1994 in the coxless fours and would help the quartet to podium finishes in the next three major championship although the bronze at the Atlanta Olympic was considered a disappointment, Following the 1996 Games he continued in the four but was joined by his former junior partner Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and four time Olympic champion Steven Redgrave. The crew won the 1997 and 1998 World Championships and retained the title in 1999 despite the absence of Foster who suffered a recurrence of his back injury. He resumed his seat for the Sydney Olympics where the four emerged victorious despite an epic struggle with the Italian crew. Foster elected to continue rowing with an eye to competing in Athens but a serious knee injury ended his career in 2001. He turned to coaching, firstly at the London Rowing Club and then as part of the British national programme. 2011 he accepted a position as head coach of the Swiss rowing team. Foster is married to Joy Fahrenkrog, a former member of the US national archery team, who placed sixth at the US Olympic trials of 2004.