New Zealand’s top rower Robbie Manson drops clothes for special Warwick Rowers shoot
The official faster rower on the planet came out as gay in 2014
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
New Zealand’s top rower Robbie Manson has dropped his clothes for the special Warwick Rowers tenth anniversary calendar.
A two-time Olympic athlete from New Zealand, Manson holds the world record for men’s single sculling, making him officially the fastest rower on the planet.
Manson, who came out as gay in 2014, said: “As an LGBT athlete, I value the straight ally message of the Warwick Rowers.
“They prove you don’t have to be a gay or female athlete to believe passionately that sport should be for everyone, and that sport can show leadership in promoting equality.
“So, when the guys invited me to join them in their tenth anniversary calendar, I got on a plane!”
Since coming out, Manson has set up a new charity Waterboy, a charity which helps children facing tough times get the opportunity to play sport and said homophobia is one of the barriers he hopes to break down.
Each year, since 2009, the buff bodied rowers pose naked for a calendar to raise money for their anti-homophobia group Sports Allies.
To celebrate their tenth anniversary, the Warwick Rowers have teased that the 2019 calendar will feature some “surprising guests” according to their crowdfunding page.
This year, the group were suspended from Instagram after allegedly breaching the social media site’s policies on nudity.
While none of the content that Warwick Rowers have posted to Instagram features any of these, the images do feature body hair, and this may include the occasional glimpse of pubic hair.
