Olympic cox Acer Nethercott has passed away

It is with great sadness that the GB Rowing Team has learnt of the death overnight of Acer Nethercott, Olympic rowing medallist and Boat Race cox.

Nethercott passed away after recent illness, aged 35. He coxed the men’s eight to an Olympic silver medal in Beijing and was an integral part of the squad for many years, also winning World Championships bronze in 2007.

Sir David Tanner CBE, GB Rowing Team Performance Director, said: “It is very sad news. Acer was the top British cox of his time. He coxed our excellent silver medal winning eight at Beijing 2008. He had an exceptional period with the GB Rowing Team until illness in the past Olympiad”.

Di Ellis CBE, Chairman of British Rowing said: “I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Acer, a young man who always appeared as an independent spirit with a sense fun but once in the boat was a determined competitive cox for his crew whether club, university or country. The thoughts of all in British Rowing are with his family and friends at this difficult time.’

Acer Nethercott – Rowing Biography

Club: Oxford University College Boat Club
Boat: Men’s Eight
Role: Cox
Coach: Mark Banks, John West
Learnt to Row: Oxford University
Original Club(s): Oxford University Boat Club
Original Coach(es): Sean Bowden
Date of Birth: 28/11/1977
Place of Birth: Suffolk, Newmarket
Home Town: Essex, Harlow
Current Address: Oxford
Education: Mark Hall Comprehensive, Broxbourne School, Oxford University
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 55 kg
Biography:


Acer was an International cox who won Olympic silver in Beijing in 2008 and was also well-known as a three-times University Boat Race cox for Oxford.

Originally from Harlow in Essex, Acer went to school at Mark Hall Comprehensive and then Broxbourne School.
He joined Oxford University Boat Club after starting at Oxford and was the Oxford women’s Blue Boat cox in 2000 before coxing Isis in 2002 and then moving up to the winning Blue Boat in 2003. He went on to cox the Blue Boat in 2004 and again in 2005 when Oxford avenged their previous year’s defeat to Cambridge. 


Acer gained a B.Phil in 2003 and his D.Phil in Philosophy during a period spent studying at the Sorbonne in Paris. 

He coxed the GB men’s eight throughout the World Cup series in 2005 taking a bronze medal at Eton in May and a fifth place at the World Cup finals in Lucerne in July. The crew went on to perform well at the 2005 World Championships in Gifu, Japan, finishing fourth. During 2006, he then took 5th in the Munich World Cup and 6th place in the World Cup Finals in Lucerne.

He was also part of the British men’s eight which finished 5th in the final of the 2006 World Championships at Eton. In 2007 he coxed the eight to 5th place at the Linz World Cup in June 2007, to a bronze at the World Cup in Amsterdam, 5th place at the Lucerne World Cup and to bronze at the 2007 World Championships.

He went onto to cox the GB eight to a sliver medal in the Olympic final in Beijing in 2008.

 Acer means “fierce, keen and eager” in Latin.

Competitive Record: 



World Rowing Championships

2007 bronze eight

2006 5th eight 

2005 4th eight

Olympic Games

2008 silver eight

For further information contact: Caroline Searle in the GB Rowing Team Press Office on 01225 443998 or 07831 755351 or [email protected]