- Gold Medal winning Olympian from the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
- 34 years old
- General Electric's Olympic Ambassador
- Supporter of the NSPCC
- Fundraising target of £20,000
At the age of 23 Rowley Douglas achieved the highest competitive honour in the Rowing world, winning Olympic Gold at the 2000 Sydney Games. As Coxswain for the victorious British 8 man Rowing team, he has dedicated years of hard work and precision training toward the goal of Gold. And he is hoping to do it all over again; in a remarkable return to the sport he is currently in trials to become the Coxswain for the 2012 GB team.
The determination and ambition that led to Gold is evident throughout the other aspects of his life. He enjoys a successful career as an account manager with General Electric (recently securing a post as their Olympic Ambassador), is an experienced motivational speaker and a member of the Cambridge University Boat Club coaching staff. Rowley is also the proud father of two young sons and an enthusiastic advocate of the work of the NSPCC, his charity of choice for the Gold Challenge.
Rowley's task is not an easy one; not only is he taking on 30 sports, as many as possible will be completed in their Paralympic equivalent. For example, rather than completing 3 hours of coached Basketball, Rowley will be doing 3 hours of Wheelchair Basketball training. Through his experiences he aims to raise awareness of disability sports, the work done by volunteers who run them and their positive impact on the lives of those who play them.
Rowley is making excellent progress with his challenge and has so far completed 5 of his sports; Boxing, Badminton, Canoe/Kayak, Table Tennis and Tennis/Wheelchair Tennis and we have many more sports lined up for our him.
The multi-sport challenge is the perfect way to learn new sports and get an insight into the Olympic Games, after all every Olympic champion started with the same lessons Gold Challengers experience! So why not join Rowley in really getting into the Olympic spirit?
To read all about the sports Rowley has completed so far, why not check out his blog at www.rowleydouglas.com. You can also keep up to date with his journey via Twitter follow him @RowleyDouglas
If you've been inspired by Rowley and his journey sign up NOW!
If you want to find out more about the work of the NSPCC, then take a look at the NSPCC Gold Challenge page.
Rowley needs us to all get behind him to hit his target, why not donate to this worthy cause? Remember even a small amount makes a difference: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RowleyDouglas
