David Crawshay

David Crawshay is an Olympic gold medal-winning rower and lawyer.

David has been known for his dedication over his 16-year career in elite sport which has spanned three Olympic Games and multiple World Championships. This culminated in 2008 with him winning a gold medal in the men’s double scull at the Beijing Olympic Games alongside his rowing partner and great friend, Scott Brennan. The victory was made all the more special after the pair suffered adversity four years earlier at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games as part of an Australian men’s quadruple scull that underperformed.

David has held various roles in sport. While rowing he was a member of the Rowing Australia Athletes’ Commission for many years. After retiring from elite-level competition, he sat as a board member of Rowing Australia, the sport’s peak body, from 2020 to 2022, while at the same time chairing the Athletes’ Commission. He currently sits on the High Performance Commission, which oversees the implementation of Rowing Australia’s high performance plan.

In his later years of rowing, David undertook a law degree remotely from Charles Darwin University, and in 2016 he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws before being admitted to practise in 2017. Since then, he practised as a lawyer before being admitted as a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, hearing appeals in the Migration Division. Most recently he has returned to private practice as a senior associate at JRT Partnership.

David brings a unique perspective as an elite-level athlete who has had diverse experiences outside of the sport. Aside from issues involved in high performance sport, he takes a keen interest in a wide range of topics including national and international politics, geo-political affairs and education to name a few. He is as much at ease talking about contemporary social and cultural issues as he is about the importance of resilience in a high-performing environment.

David is always keen to share his sharp insights on topics that transcend the sporting field into everyday life, drawing on his personal experiences with dealing with anxiety, the importance of feedback to personal development, and building belief.

He is an entertaining and articulate speaker.