Murray Watkinson

Murray Watkinson

Watkinson in 1964
Personal information
Born	11 June 1939 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	19 January 2004(2004-01-19) (aged 64)
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Club	West End Rowing Club
Medal record Representing New Zealand World Rowing Championships 1970 St. Catharines Eight European Rowing Championships 1971 Copenhagen Single sculls British Empire and Commonwealth Games 1962 Perth Double sculls

Murray Paul Watkinson (11 June 1939 – 19 January 2004) was a New Zealand rower. He competed at the 1964 and 1972 Summer Olympics in the single sculls and placed fifth and tenth, respectively. He won a European bronze medal in this event in 1971.

Watkinson was born in 1939. He started training at the West End Rowing Club in 1953 when he was 13 years old. He won his first major title, a silver medal in the double sculls, at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, partnering with his brother Peter. At the 1964 European Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, he came fourth in the single sculls. Two months later at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he came fifth. Watkinson competed as one of the favourites in single sculls at the 1967 European Rowing Championships in Vichy, France, but did not reach the final.

Watkinson's health declined during his later years. He was one of the few New Zealanders to have received a heart-liver transplant. He died in 2004, survived by wife Joy, sons Paul and Michael, and three grandchildren.