Eric Murray's rowing partner, Hamish Bond, says he has no plans yet to follow in his now former teammate's footsteps.
New Zealand rowers Hamish Bond and Eric Murray hold a winning streak of 69 races. Photo: Lottie Hedley
Murray, the two-time Olympic champion, has retired from rowing, ending the winning streak of 69 men's coxless pair races he shared with Bond.
The pair joined Mahe Drysdale in taking a break from the sport after last year's games, and Bond has since embarked on a road cycling career.
After the Rio Olympics, the duo took a year off to re-evaluate their options and, at 34 years old, Murray today announced it was time to hang up the oars.
Bond admitted he was surprised by Murray's decision, but said he looked back fondly on their unbeatable partnership.
"We both had things that we were better at [than each other] and different attributes that we brought to the table, and we were able to combine those into a crew and combination that was perhaps better than the parts themselves," Bond said.
Bond himself has no plans to retire from professional sport yet.
The 31-year-old took his year off from rowing to try his hand, or foot, at cycling, and said he was really enjoying it.
"I guess I see myself, not necessarily as a rower or a cyclist, just as an athlete at the moment.
"I happen to be an athlete that's cycling at the moment but there's nothing to say that I can't row in the future."
Hamish Bond rides to victory in the inaugural Abel Tasman Cycle Challenge. Photo: Icon Sport
Bond said the time away from rowing has been refreshing.
"I'm enjoying the process at the moment, I'm motivated and excited by what I'm doing.
"The training's a challenge and I'm heading overseas to the UK and Europe too for a couple of months to continue that process and hopefully I'll come back a better rider.
"I just want to try and get a handle on how good I can be and then make an objective decision around what I'm most excited by and what I think I should put my efforts in going forward."
