Tom Terhaar to Depart USRowing

Long-time women's national team head coach Tom Terhaar, who led the U.S. to 11 consecutive world and Olympic titles in the women's eight from 2006-2016, has decided to leave USRowing after 21 years at the helm of the program. Terhaar will be joining the staff at Columbia University as Director of Rowing.

One of the most accomplished rowing coaches in the world, his unprecedented run of consecutive titles included three Olympic gold medals and eight world championship golds.

"While I did not have much time with Tom since beginning in my role last year, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet him and know that he will be missed," said USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus. "We certainly wish him all the best in his new role at Columbia and hope our paths cross on the Harlem River."

After serving five years as the lightweight men's coach at Columbia University, Terhaar joined the U.S. staff as women's head coach in 2001, leading the eight to a fourth-place finish in his inaugural campaign. The following year, his eight won the gold medal at the 2002 World Rowing Championships in Seville, Spain, becoming the first U.S. boat to win the event since 1995 in Tampere, Finland. After winning gold in the women's four in 2003, Terhaar's eight set a world record in the heat and then claimed the silver medal in the final at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. It was the first time the U.S. had won a medal in the women's eight at the Olympics since 1984.

Two years later, Terhaar's eight would start its 11-year winning streak at the world level, winning gold and setting a new world record in the process. In 2007, his eight and four both won gold, and he was named the United States Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year for Rowing and was a finalist for the USOC's National Coach of the Year Award. In 2008, Terhaar's eight won Olympic gold in Beijing. And for the next eight years, no matter how many times his lineups changed, Terhaar's women's eights continued to win gold medals, including Olympic gold in London and Rio -- the rare Olympic three-peat.

After a fourth-place finish in 2017, Terhaar's eight was back on top of the medal stand in 2018, as was his women's four, and his eight won bronze at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.

In addition to his success in the eight, Terhaar's women's quadruple sculls crews won a gold medal in 2015, silver medals in 2009 and 2011, and bronze medals in 2012 and 2014. He coached the women's pair to gold in 2009, silver in 2014 and 2017, and bronze in 2010 and 2015. Following the double gold-medal performance from the eight and pair at the 2009 World Rowing Championships, he was named World Rowing Coach of the Year.

Prior to being named head coach, Terhaar served as a national team assistant coach from 1994-2000. In 2000, he coached the women's quadruple sculls to a fifth-place finish at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Terhaar rowed collegiately at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a degree in English.

USRowing would like to thank Tom for his dedication to the organization, congratulate him on his record-setting run with the national team, and wish him good luck as he moves on to Columbia University.