David Watts (rower)
David Watts is an Australian rower from Perth, Western Australia. He is a highly decorated athlete who most recently won silver at the 2015 World Rowing Championships, qualifying the M4x for the Rio Olympic Games, and competed in the M2x at the same Olympics.
Personal
Watts was born in England before moving to Perth, Australia for the latter half of his schooling. He was schooled at Living Waters, Lutheran College, Churchlands SHS, and graduated from Trinity College, Perth. He now lives and trains at the Australian Institute of Sport training facility in Canberra, a facility dedicated to the pursuit of high performance in elite rowing.
In his spare time, Watts is a well regarded photographer, operating as an independent under his label: David Watts Photography. His artistic talents continue to manifest in his proficiency as a guitarist and vocalist.
Highschool Rowing Career
During his tenure at Trinity College, Watts set the all time schoolboy 2000m erg test record in Western Australia at 6:08.4, a record that stands unbroken to this day. He was 16.
Watts was a member of the victorious Trinity College 1st VIII in 2009, who also set a WA school-boy record over 2000m at 5:50.5.
Club and National career
Watts rows for the Swan River Rowing Club. He competed at every level throughout his career, from U/17 through to Senior A level inclusive, having great success in the high performance programs of SRRC, WAIS, and the AIS. He is among the most highly decorated athletes to have ever been produced by Rowing WA.
International Rowing Career
Watts made a number of youth representative appearances for Australia - at the 2008 (age 16) and 2010 World Junior Championships; the 2010 Youth Olympics and the 2012 and 2014 Under 23 World Championships, winning three bronze medals.[1]
At the 2015 World Rowing Championships on Lac d'Aiguebelette in Aiguebelette, France, he won a silver medal in the men's quadruple sculls (M4x) event, rowing with David Crawshay, Karsten Forsterling and Cameron Girdlestone.
Watts was selected to row Australia's double scull at the 2016 Summer Olympics with Chris Morgan. They placed in the heat, then finished fifth in the semi-final and won the B final.[2]