Mahé Drysdale's emotional farewell ‘MY FAMILY JOY & OLYMPIC HEARTACHE'

After retiring from rowing, the sports hero reveals the next chapter for his beautiful clan

- Kelly Bertrand

Throughout his long career, Kiwi rowing legend Mahé Drysdale has never had what you’d call an easy run of it. There was the time he rowed to a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics while battling a severe stomach virus, collapsing at the finish line and having to be carried to the medal ceremony.

Or the time in 2005 when he was hit by a water-skier during a training run and broke two vertebrae – but still won the World Championships that year. Or the time when he was hit by a car while out on his bike a few months before the London Games, where he won his first of two Olympic gold medals.

He’s one of New Zealand’s favourite sons, the epitome of the humble Kiwi hero, and while his name will live on in the history books as one of our most successful athletes, there’s a new title beckoning that he’s looking forward to claiming – stay-at-home dad.

“Primary carer, that’s me,” Mah é, 42, tells Woman’s Day with a smile as he talks through his decision to retire from professional rowing. “It’s a bit of a change, but I’m looking forward to it!”

His kids, Bronte, six, Boston, four, and almost-two-year-old Frankie are also excited about having him around their Cambridge home a lot more, as is his wife, fellow rower and Olympic bronze medallist Juliette, 39.

But Mahé admits hanging up his paddle was emotional after missing selection for the last Olympics. “I knew that I was going to retire this year, but I thought it would have been on the first of August, after Tokyo,” he confesses. “I had to prove myself to get to that point and I didn’t.”