Maddie Edmunds

BBus(Mgt)

2016 Olympian

At St Margaret’s 2005-2009

Maddie Edmunds is a five-time national champion rower who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

She started rowing at St Margaret’s when she was 13 and became a member of the First VIII in Year 10. She won multiple Head of the Rivers in the First VIII and the age group single scull every year. At age 16, Maddie made her first Australian team, representing Australia at the world junior championships where she won a silver medal.

After graduating from St Margaret’s in 2009, Maddie continued representing Australia in rowing at many regattas, including World Cups, the Henley Royal Regatta and World Championships, winning a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships. In 2018, she won the open women’s coxed eight title at the Australian Rowing Championships alongside her younger sister Jacinta, also a champion rower. Maddie also competed for Queensland in the interstate regatta for 11 years, winning on six occasions including twice in the interstate single scull.

Whilst competing, Maddie simultaneously studied a Bachelor of Business Management at Griffith University and started her own small catering business, ‘made by ME’. At university, Maddie was the recipient of four Full Blues Awards for sporting excellence, from 2014 up until 2018. She is also a qualified Pilates instructor and is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Health Service Management at Griffith University. 

Maddie retired from rowing in 2019 and returned to Brisbane to start the next chapter of her career journey. She is currently working as a consultant at Ernst & Young and also assists as a rowing coach at St Margaret’s.

Reflecting on her St Margaret’s education Maddie said: “St Margaret’s helped me to realise that my goals were achievable no matter what they were, both in sports and business. My sporting experiences at St Margaret’s provided me with the opportunity to pursue my rowing career from a young age, following in the footsteps of Old Girls who had done the same. Although sport was my focus mostly at school, I would never have been able to finish my business degree without the skills and discipline I learnt through my time at St Margaret’s. Finally, the St Margaret’s community provides so much strength and opportunity to all lucky enough to be included. Whether the opportunity is work or mentorship from a fellow Old Girl, St Margaret’s will always help you succeed and has certainly helped me too.”