Olympian – Scott Brennan 

Scott was born in Hobart 9 January 1983, and attended St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School prior to starting at St Virgil’s College.

During his time at St Virgil’s, Scott was keenly interested in many of the activities the College had to offer. The study provided him with a welcome challenge. He enjoyed all subjects, under the tutelage of some outstanding teachers and was awarded the History and Science prizes at his Year 10 graduation. Scott had been receiving piano lessons since the age of four. His interest in music led him to become an integral part of the College Band. As a member of the band, he performed in numerous concerts as well as touring interstate. 

In Year 9 he was elected a member of the Student Representative Council.

In Year 10, 1998, Scott was elected College Captain – a role he was honoured to fulfil. 

Scott was a very active sportsman from the very commencement at St Virgil’s. He participated in a range of sports, including water polo and rugby – he represented Tasmanian in underage competition in the latter. He was also a member of the highly successful SVC athletics team and registered wins with the discus. Scott was an avid cyclist towards the end of his school years, competing successfully in state-wide road racing competitions. 

But it was to row that he dedicated much of his effort after he first picked up an oar in Year 7. With a group of four other boys in his age group, Scott won the majority of school events in quad, double and single sculls from 1996-98. His school rowing credits culminated with SVC winning the U/16 Eights at the Head of the River Regatta. That year he also competed in his first Australian Championships and won two gold medals for the quad and double sculls. This achievement further confirmed his resolve at a younger age to represent his country in international competition.

Following his time at St Virgil’s, Scott moved on to Guilford Young College (1999 -2000) where he continued his studies enthusiastically, whilst maintaining his interest in rowing.  During this period, he won five Australian tiles at junior level in the quad, double and single sculls, including the Australian Schoolboys’ Single Scull Championship in 2000. 

Whilst in Year 12, at the age of 17, Scott was selected as a member of the quad in the Australian Junior Rowing Team to compete in the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. 

Scott was elected College Captain of Guilford Young College in 2000 and also received awards at his graduation for his academic achievements. 

Following his time at GYC, Scott commenced a degree in Medicine at the University of Tasmania.

Whilst in his first year at UTAS, Scott met Sam LeCompte who became his coach and mentor and with whom he was to form a very close and successful partnership. In 2001 Scott won four national titles, including the Junior Men’s Single for which he set a new Australian record. He then went on to win a silver medal in the Men’s Single Scull at the World Junior Championships in Germany later that year.

Following this, under the skilful guidance of LeCompte, Scott went on to win many State and National titles, before becoming the Under 23 World Single Sculling Champion in 2003 – the first Australian to do so.

In 2004, at the beginning of his 4th year of medical studies, Scott took a year off University following his selection in the Australian Olympic team to compete in the Men’s Quad Scull event at Athens. In the lead up to the Olympics, the crew won a gold medal at the World Cup at Lucerne in Switzerland.  However, at the Games, the crew finished a disappointing 7th following a mishap during racing.

Returning to his 4th year of medical studies in 2005, Scott stepped up to senior rowing ranks while still ‘underage’, and became only the third Tasmania in history to win the Australian Interstate Men’s Single Scull title. The coach-athlete partnership Sam and Scott had developed over five years sadly came to an end in mid-2005 when Sam succumbed to cancer. His wisdom and inspiration were gravely missed.  Scott then took the season off from international racing to focus on his studies and was placed on the Dean’s Honour Roll for his academic achievement that year. 

In 2006, Scott became the Australian Single Scull Champion in his first year as a senior athlete. He also defended his interstate single and double sculls national titles from the previous year.  He is currently completing his 5th year of medicine and hopes to finish his degree in 2007 and be able to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Following this he would like to follow a career in orthopaedic surgery or paediatric medicine.

Postscript

 He studied medicine at the University of Tasmania and graduated in 2007 with honours. 

Scott graduated from the University of Tasmania with first-class honours in 2007 and was the stroke of the gold medal double scull at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He was awarded an OAM in 2009 for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Scott married World Champion Sculler Kimberley Crow in December 2015. In August 2016 Kimberley won the Single Scull gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. He is currently a doctor working in critical care in  Canberra and is now the father of two and has become a hobby farmer.