Sarah Tait

Sarah Anne Tait (née Outhwaite; 23 January 1983 – 3 March 2016) was an Australian rower - a national and world champion, three-time Olympian and Olympic-medal winner. She was the first mother to represent Australia in rowing at Olympic level, having returned to international competition following the birth of her daughter.

Early life Tait was born in Perth, Western Australia, one of four children of Simon and Barbara Outhwaite. She was educated at St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls in Perth. She began rowing in 1997, at the age of 14.

Wearing Swan River RC colours she contested national Australian titles at the Australian Rowing Championships on a number of occasions. She won a national title in coxless pair in 2005 with Natalie Beal. She contested the coxless four in 2005 and 2006 and the women's eight in composite Western Australian crews in 2005, 2006 and 2007. At the 500m mark of their race, Tait and Hornsey were in fourth place, but moved into third at the 1000m mark. In the last 500m, the pair passed New Zealand's world champions Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh, to finish second behind Britain's Heather Stanning and Helen Glover.

Tait won her first world championship title in the Australian women's eight at the 2005 World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan. At that same regatta she won a silver medal in a coxless pair with Natalie Bale.

Three months after the 2008 Olympics, Tait became pregnant with her first child. As she was determined to compete in the 2012 Olympics, she continued to train up until the last three weeks of pregnancy, and returned to her training schedule five months after giving birth.

Tait announced her retirement from competitive rowing on 26 February 2014, as she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer after the birth of her second child eleven months earlier. Although she had initially returned to rowing after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she was later advised to retire from the sport to undergo further treatment.

Personal life Tait was married to national rowing coach Bill Tait and was a second cousin of rower David Crawshay. Her father, Simon Outhwaite, was an Australian rules footballer for South Fremantle Football Club.

Tait died on 3 March 2016, aged 33, in Melbourne, Victoria. She had been diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2013.