Kerri Gowler
Kerri Gowler is a New Zealand rower. She is a national champion, an Olympian, a three-time world champion and a current world champion in the both the coxless pair and the women's eight.
Gowler was born in Raetihi in 1993. She received her education at Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton. The school first started to offer a rowing programme in 2008 and a year later, Gowler took this up. At the time, she was also competing as an equestrian but soon started focussing on rowing so much that she had to choose one of the sports. Her trainer told her three weeks after she had started rowing that she would one day represent New Zealand. Jackie Gowler, her younger sister by three years, took up rowing in 2010 inspired by her success; they have both made it into the New Zealand national rowing team. Their elder sister, Jaimee Gowler, remains active with horse riding. After school, Gowler became a member of the Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club.
Gowler's international career started in 2013 with the women's eight. After participation in two World Rowing Cups she won the B-final at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju, South Korea. Gowler won the gold medal in the coxless four at the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam alongside Kayla Pratt, Kelsey Bevan, and Grace Prendergast. With the women's eight, she came fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is New Zealand Olympian number 1278.
At the 2017 World Rowing Championships, she became world champion in the women's pair partnered with Prendergast. Gowler and Prendergast regained that title at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.
