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Georgie Rowe
Rowsella #856 | 2-time Olympian
On February 2, 2026, Australian rower Georgie Rowe completed a 5km ergometer test in 16:49.4 — a personal best that also became a world record, surpassing her previous mark of 16:54.2, set in November 2019.
We sat down with Georgie shortly after the test to reflect on the effort - not as a record, but as a performance. The preparation behind it, the mindset required to execute it, and how her approach to the ergo, self belief and discipline has adapted with time.
CHASING PROGRESS
Since setting her original record, Rowe has lived through two Olympic cycles and several different training systems. Opportunities to attempt a 5km test have been limited, often slotted into heavy programs without specific preparation. For years, she hovered well outside her best time.
“I haven’t come close to that score since I set the other record in 2019.”
In the weeks leading in, the squad completed targeted erg preparation. The numbers in training began to align. Familiar splits started to feel more sustainable. There was no dramatic shift - just quiet confirmation that the work was landing.
Rowe spoke with her coach before the test. A PB felt possible. Not guaranteed, but close enough to pursue.
She is deliberate in how she frames the performance.
“I don’t like talking about it like it’s a world record – it’s just my personal best… Consequently I break the world record when I get a PB.”
ADVICE FOR THE NEXT GEN AND THE VALUE OF A PLAN
For younger athletes facing the erg with apprehension, Rowe’s advice is straightforward.
Have a plan.
Know your numbers.
Be realistic.
“If you go into an erg unsure – how do you know what you’re gonna do?”
“The most important thing is sticking to your plan, and having a plan B.”
From the first strokes, Rowe stayed within numbers she knew she could hold. She rated deliberately. She watched the split. She trusted the plan.
Fear often comes not from the erg itself, but from uncertainty. Preparation reduces that fear. So does accepting that not every day will be perfect - and that solid work still counts.
The erg doesn’t reward drama. It rewards discipline.
“I knew there was a 30 second variance between my PB and a steady piece. And then it’s just having that curiosity to know where you can push it, or if you feel like maybe that’s all you have today – and being ok with this as well.”
The erg is unforgiving in its objectivity. There are no conditions to read, no opponents to respond to, no external variables to hide behind. The screen tells the truth. Rowe approached it as such.
MANAGING THE BURN
A 5km erg demands tolerance - physical and mental.
Rowe is open about the pain. It hurt. Deeply. She doesn’t romanticise suffering. Instead, she describes it as something to manage.
When the pain builds, Rowe shifts the problem from body to mind.
“I like to think… your muscles don’t have brains. Your brain is in control of how you feel, whether you’re producing lactic acid or not. When it really starts to hurt… I like to think that my legs don’t actually know that it’s hurting. It’s my brain telling my legs that it’s hurting.”
Rowe uses practical anchors in the moment:
And then there’s perspective.
Midway through the piece, with 1800 metres remaining, her coach reminded her: This is where you want to be.
For Rowe, that landed differently than it might have years earlier.
At this stage of her career, surrounded by friends starting families, she became acutely aware that this life - this choice - is deliberate.
It wasn’t about ignoring pain. It was about understanding it’s temporary and worth enduring.
EXPERIENCE COMPOUNDS BELIEF
Reflecting on 2019, Rowe describes herself as a different athlete now. Not because her values have changed, but because her belief has.
In the past year, a new system and new coaching environment have reinforced that belief. Clear communication. Calm leadership. Genuine encouragement. Being told - consistently - that she is doing good work.
Performance like this doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s shaped by systems, coaches, teammates, and environments that allow athletes to prepare properly and show up with belief.
ON THE LINE
G has long been a leader within the 776BC community - generous with her time, honest about the work, and committed to lifting those coming through behind her. She gives so much to our partnership, to the next generation of athletes, and to our sport. Thanks for jumping ON THE LINE with us.
We’re honoured to support Rowing Australia and their athletes as they pursue greatness on and off the water.
