Seán Joseph Drea is a former rower from Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, specialising in the single scull

Single scull

A single scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand....

. He won the Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...

's Diamond Sculls

Diamond Challenge Sculls

The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England...

 three years in a row, and came second in the 1975 World Championships

World Rowing Championships

The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...

.

Drea is from Wells, near Muine Bheag, County Carlow

County Carlow

County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...

. He tried many sports before joining Neptune Rowing Club

Neptune Rowing Club

Neptune Rowing Club, founded in 1908, is located on the River Liffey at Islandbridge, Dublin. It is one of the largest clubs in Ireland and is one of only two clubs in Dublin which is not affiliated to an institution....

 after moving to Greystones

Greystones

Greystones is a coastal town and small seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is located on Ireland’s east coast, south of Bray and south of Dublin , with a population in the region of 15,000....

 to work as a builder. He later went to Philadelphia, where he attended St. Joseph's College on a scholarship and also rowed for Vesper Boat Club

Vesper Boat Club

Vesper Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #10 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1865 as the Washington Barge Club, the Club changed its name to Vesper Boat Club in 1870...

. He lost to Alexander Timoschinin in the final of the 1972 Diamond Sculls when the steering fin broke off his boat. At the 1972 Olympics

Rowing at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Rowing at the 1972 Summer Olympics featured 7 events, all for men. It was the last time that rowing did not included women's disciplines at the Olympics.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...

, he came seventh. In 1974, he won the U.S. national championships, and was the favorite for the World Championships in Rotsee

Rotsee

The Rotsee is a natural rowing lake on the northern edge of Lucerne, Switzerland. It is 2,400 m long with virtually no current and protected from winds by nearby hills making it an ideal rowing venue....

; however he withdrew for an emergency kidney stone

Kidney stone

A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine...

 removal. At the 1975 World Championships, he finished second to Peter-Michael Kolbe

Peter-Michael Kolbe

Peter-Michael Kolbe is a German rower and is one of the greatest single scullers ever. And, with the possible exception of Australia's Stuart Mackenzie, the greatest to have never won an Olympic Gold Medal...

. At the 1976 Olympics

Rowing at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Rowing at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal featured races in 14 events, all held at the rowing basin on Île Notre-Dame. Women's events held at 1000 m debuted ....

, he broke the 2000m world record

World record

A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...

 in the semi-final with a time of 6:52.46. However, he finished only fourth in the final after a poor third quarter.

Drea spent years in Philadelphia as a coach, and rowed in the Head of the River Race

Head of the River Race

The Head of the River Race is a processional rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the 4.25 mile Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney.-History:...

 in 1997 with a veteran Schuylkill Navy

Schuylkill Navy

The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States...

 crew.

Sean's son Jack Drea rowed for Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...

at Henley in 2004.

Record

Year	Event	Place	Ref
1970	Henley	QF
1970	Worlds	6
1972	Henley	2
1972	Olympics	7
1973	Henley	1
1974	Henley	1
1975	Henley	1
1975	Worlds	2
1976	Olympics	4