Robin Tamplin rowed in the number seven position of the men's eight at the 1948 London Olympic Games - an opportunity he described as 'a kind of miracle' - after being recruited for the composite Irish crew by DUBC coach Maurice Horan in a Belfast bar. From Dunganstown, County Wicklow, where his father was the Church of Ireland rector, Tamplin discovered rowing at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, finding it 'an exhilarating experience' that captivated him. He entered Trinity College in 1947, 'fanatical about the need to train and be fit', beginning each day with an early morning fitness routine in College Park. The composite crew at Henley-on-Thames - the only Irish team at those Games to be officially designated 'Ireland' in the programme - was beaten by Canada and Portugal in the opening heat and by Norway in the repechage. After elimination, Tamplin and reserve Ray Chantler bedded down on the settees and floor of the exclusive Phyllis Court club at the Henley finishing line - having struck up a friendship with the manager's daughter - to study the rowing techniques of the world's top crews.
Rowing
