Moe Sbihi

For the Moroccan mathematician, minister of culture, see Mohamed Amine Sbihi.

Mohamed Sbihi
MBE
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1988-03-27) 27 March 1988 (age 36)
Kingston upon Thames, England, United Kingdom
Alma materSt Mary's University, Twickenham
Height2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight103 kg (227 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportRowing
Event(s)Coxless four, Eight
ClubMolesey Boat Club
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Coxless four
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Eight
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Eight
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Chungju Eight
Gold medal – first place 2014 Amsterdam Coxless four
Gold medal – first place 2015 Aiguebelette Eight
Silver medal – second place 2010 Karapiro Eight
Silver medal – second place 2011 Bled Eight
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Sarasota Coxless four
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Plovdiv Eight
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Ottensheim Eight
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Belgrade Coxless four
Gold medal – first place 2016 Brandenburg Coxless four
Gold medal – first place 2021 Varese Eight
Silver medal – second place 2015 Poznan Eight
Silver medal – second place 2019 Lucerne Eight

Mohamed Karim Sbihi (born 27 March 1988) is a British rower. He is a three-time Olympian and Olympic medal winner. He won a gold medal in the coxless four at 2016 Rio Olympics, and at the 2012 London Olympics he was in the British crew that won the bronze medal in the men's eight.[2] He returned to the eight for the 2020 Tokyo games, again winning bronze.

Early life

Sbihi was born in Kingston upon Thames to a British mother and a Moroccan father.[3] He attended Hollyfield Secondary School in Surbiton,[4] before studying Sport Science with Health, Nutrition & Exercise at St. Mary's University College, Twickenham on a sports scholarship from 2006 to 2010. Before he joined the rowing team he played both association football and basketball.

At the age of 15, he was identified as a potentially successful oarsman by a talent-spotting programme and joined the GB Rowing World Class Start programme.[5][6] Sbihi finished first in the junior men J15 category at the 2003 Great Britain Indoor Rowing Championships.[7]

Career

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom he was part of the British crew that won the bronze medal in the eight.[8]

In 2013, he was part of the men’s eight that won gold at the World Rowing Championships. In 2014 he won gold medals in the coxless four at both the European Rowing Championships in Belgrade and the World Championships in Amsterdam.[9] In 2015, he won gold at the World Championships for the third consecutive year, this time in the eight again.[10]

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sbihi was part of the GB coxless four. The team won the gold medal, Britain's fifth consecutive gold in the event.[11][12]

He won a bronze medal at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida, as part of the coxless four.[13] He then won a bronze medal at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, as part of the eight with James Rudkin, Alan Sinclair, Tom Ransley, Thomas George, Oliver Wynne-Griffith, Matthew Tarrant, Will Satch and Henry Fieldman[14] and won another bronze medal the following year at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim, Austria as part of the eight with George, Rudkin, Josh Bugajski, Jacob Dawson, Wynne-Griffith, Tarrant, Thomas Ford and Fieldman.[15]

In 2021, he won a European gold medal in the eight in Varese, Italy.[16] [17]

Sbihi was selected as one of Team GB's two flag bearers for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, on 23 July 2021, which he described as a "huge honour".[18][19] He became Great Britain's first ever Muslim flag bearer.[20]

Honours

Sbihi was made a member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's 2017 New Year Honours list for services to rowing.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b Majendie, Matt (11 February 2016). "Moe Sbihi interview: Top British rower aiming to make up for pain of 2012 Olympics". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  2. ^ Barretto, Lawrence (2 August 2012). "Olympics rowing: GB bronze in men's eight won by Germany". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  3. ^ Caroline Cheese. "Human to Hero: Fast faith – Muslim rower's Olympic dilemma". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Alumni - The Hollyfield School". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Mohammed Sbihi learning fast about rowing demands". The Daily Telegraph. London. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  6. ^ Robert Kitson (3 May 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: Champions aren't made easily, says Mohamed Sbihi". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Live-written Commentary". The Rowing Foundation.
  8. ^ Barretto, Lawrence (2 August 2012). "Olympics rowing: GB bronze in men's eight won by Germany". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  9. ^ "New Zealand on a roll ahead of World Rowing Championships". Sportal. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  10. ^ Ling, Thomas (5 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Who is Mohamed Sbihi?". Radio Times.
  11. ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain win gold in men's four". BBC Sport. 12 August 2016.
  12. ^ Sbihi, Moe (26 August 2016). "Mohamed Sbihi: The tears, parties and selfies of a gold medallist in Rio". i News.
  13. ^ "2017 World Championship" (PDF). 2017 World Rowing Championships. World Rowing. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  14. ^ "2018 World Championship results" (PDF). World Rowing.
  15. ^ "2019 Eight results" (PDF). World Rowing.
  16. ^ "Men's Double Sculls Final A (Final)". World Rowing. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Men's Eight Final FA (Final)". World Rowing. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  18. ^ Cary, Tom; White, Jim (22 July 2021). "One flag, two bearers: Moe Sbihi and Hannah Mills hope to beat Opening Ceremony logistical difficulties". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  19. ^ Lowe, Alex. "Tokyo Olympics: Muslim rower Mohamed Sbihi flies flag for Team GB – and diversity". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Mohamed Sbihi proud to be Great Britain's first Muslim Olympic flag bearer". The Independent. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  21. ^ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N23.
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for  Great Britain
(with Hannah Mills)
Tokyo 2020 		Succeeded by
Incumbent