David Colvin (rower)

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David Colvin (born 4 November 1961) is an Australian former rowing coxswain and coach. He is a ten-time King’s Cup champion, an Olympian, and a World Rowing Championships medalist.

Early life and clubs
- Born in Melbourne and educated at Melbourne Grammar School, where he started rowing.
- He steered the school’s second eight to victory at Head of the River in 1979.
- Rowed for Banks Rowing Club from 1980 and then for Mercantile Rowing Club from 1988.

Interstate and national rowing
- First coxed the Victorian men’s eight for the King’s Cup in 1985.
- From 1985 to 2000, he coxed twelve Victorian King’s Cup crews, ten of which won.
- This period saw strong Victorian performances with many top national rowers.

International career
- Debut for Australia in 1990 as coxed four at the World Championships in Lake Barrington, finishing 9th.
- In 1991, coxed the Australian lightweight eight to 4th at Vienna Worlds.
- At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, coxed the Australian men’s eight to a fifth-place finish in the final.
- In 1993, coxed the eight at the World Championships, finishing 4th.
- In 1995, coxed the men’s coxed four to 5th at Tampere Worlds.
- In 1997, back in the eight; as part of the AIS selection eight, they won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley and bronze at the World Championships in Aiguebelette.
- In 1998, coxed the eight to 6th at the World Championships in Cologne. This was his last international campaign.
- His main domestic rival for the coxswain seat in the 1990s was Brett Hayman.

Coaching and later years
- Mercantile Rowing Club captain from 2000 to 2004.
- Has coached women’s crews at club and state level since 2002.
- Coached the Victorian women’s lightweight quad in 2004, 2006, and 2007, including the 2006 Victoria Cup victory.
- From 2008 to 2013, he was co-coach of five Queen’s Cup-winning Victorian women’s eights at the Australian Rowing Championships.