Reference

Ned Hanlan, the legendary Canadian sculler, was the first to understand and exploit the sliding seat, developing a technique that made him world champion from 1880 to 1884. His sculling technique was so effective he won despite being, in rowing terms, a midget - just 5ft 9in (175cm) tall and weighing in at about 10 stone (64kg).

Hanlan always wore a blue shirt while rowing and became known as the "boy in blue." He had an efficient stroke and took full advantage of the sliding shell seat. He is considered the father of modern rowing technique. Hanlan retired from rowing in 1897 and became the first head coach at the University of Toronto Rowing Club.

The introduction of the sliding seat, the wholesale redesign of the boat to reduce width and weight, and the transformation of oar shape has had a monumental impact on power losses in rowing. With 150 years of data sources at our fingertips we can begin to understand how impactful each of these changes have been on the velocity of elite rowers ...