When Robin Clarke realised she’d lost an incredible 50kg, it brought back memories of another amazing achievement years earlier.
Gold medal-winning rower Robin Clarke rates stepping onto the winner’s podium at the 1986 Commonwealth Games as one of her proudest moments. But the mum-of-two says stepping onto the scales and realising she had lost an incredible 50kg is right up there with her medal-winning success.
When she won her gold medal in the double sculls 21 years ago, Robin weighed 75kg and was at the height of fitness. But after having twins and settling into motherhood, she slowly piled on the kilos, peaking at 135kg two years ago.
“I was really embarrassed when I realised that I couldn’t even fit into the boat, let alone row it,” says Robin (43). “The idea that I had once been a world-class athlete was just a distant memory.
“Rowing was my identity, so it was a huge adjustment to go from a pristine physical condition to being that heavy.”
But during the last year, Robin has triumphed once again, losing more than 50kg through Weight Watchers and a strict fitness regime. And it’s no surprise that she’s itching to get back in the water after returning her body to its former glory.
“When I was fat, I could still visualise being on the water and rowing, feeling the breeze on my face and still enjoying being on a boat,” she says. “I’m looking forward to getting back on to the water. It will feel familiar and will be something that I will enjoy again.”
Robin chokes back tears when she remembers how she went from being one of the country’s top sportswomen and a lean, toned athlete, to being so obese and unfit that any activity left her puffing.
“I hated being fat. Suddenly I had gone from having a body that was fit and capable to being limited and uncomfortable.
“When I look back, I wonder how I coped. There were little things that I couldn’t do that most people take for granted, such as not being able to cross my legs, or run with my children. I couldn’t even fit into a cinema seat,” she says.
“Also, people treated me differently when I was fat. I can see that now. They are dismissive and sideline you. And it was even more embarrassing to be seen that way when people knew I had won a gold medal in my sport.”
Robin was 13 when she started rowing, and was thrilled when she was selected for the New Zealand team four years later. At the time, her daily fitness regime consisted of strenuous weight training and four hours of rowing.
After winning her medal, she continued to row before finally leaving the sport 10 years ago, when she fell pregnant with twins. Robin separated from the babies’ father soon after getting pregnant, and this left the vulnerable mum-to-be with the worrying realisation that her lifestyle of world travel and intense competition was going to disappear.
“I was soon going to be a single mum, and I’d never imagined that would happen to me,” she says. “I always thought kids would come along in a traditional family situation and it was hard to accept that was not going to be the case.”
When Robin gave birth to Lucas and Jake (now 9), her intense fitness regime took a back seat and motherhood became her prime focus. “I was on my own with two babies and it was tiring. Comfort eating started to set in and food became a buffer for my feelings.”
Robin noticed she was piling on the kilos a few months after her twins were born. “I believe there are seasons in life, and being a new mother was a time when I was focused on my boys. Seeing them healthy and having their needs met is what fulfilled me at the time. I didn’t think about myself.”
Robin had weighed more than 100kg for six years and was horrified when she discovered she had reached 135kg. “I had this memory of what it was like to have an efficient body that functioned well. It was weird, because when I started training again I felt as if my body had the same memory,” recalls Robin.
“It was like the muscles had been so well-trained in the past that they had a memory of what they used to be like.”
Robin, who today weighs a healthy 83kg, says joining Weight Watchers was a major contributor to her massive weight loss. “The Weight Watchers program was so multi-faceted and came with valuable support and accountability.
“Everybody doing it is battling the same demons and if you’re going to lose weight, then you need to harness all the support you can get to make it work.”
Twins Lucas and Jake are very proud of their mum, and enjoy doing more physical activities with her now she has more energy. And although Robin has experienced tremendous success as a sportswoman, it’s the achievements in her personal life that she’s most proud of.
“People seem to think that winning a Commonwealth gold medal has been the pinnacle of my life. But in actual fact, giving birth to my sons and being a mother tops the list,” she says. “They are very proud of me and by seeing me lose so much weight I have hopefully set an example for them, that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish great things.”
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