Intro

A powerful and imposing presence at 6’6” tall, Olympic champion Mohamed ‘Moe’ Sbihi was one of the leading figures in the men’s squad during his time with the GB Rowing Team.

Sbihi is a graduate of the GB Rowing Team Start programme. Known to all in the rowing world as Moe, he completed his collection of international titles as part of the men’s four that won gold at Rio 2016. That followed on from three successive World Championships titles, plus two European crowns.

Moe, who represented GB at Junior and U23 level, also won a bronze medal with the men’s eight at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

In 2017, Sbihi was ever present in the men’s four, winning two golds and a silver at the World Cup regattas, followed by a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton behind Australia and Italy. He won gold at the 2021 European Rowing Championships in the eight in Varese, Italy.

Moe 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, and was selected as one of Team GB’s two flag bearers for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

On The Water

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

After being crowned World Champion in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Moe completed a golden Olympiad at Rio 2016 as he helped GB secure a fifth successive Olympic men’s four title.

He teamed up with Alex Gregory, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis to power to victory on a fantastic Friday on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, beating Australia by three-quarters of a length.

It completed an unbeaten season for Moe, which started as he won the GB Rowing Team Trials with Gregory for a third successive year. The four made a winning debut at the European Championships in Brandenburg, securing gold in choppy conditions, but Louloudis was unable to race at the Lucerne World Cup due to illness.

Callum McBrierty took his place in the boat as the four won a dramatic gold, pipping Australia on the line. Louloudis returned for the Poznan World Cup, where GB maintained their unbeaten record for 2016 by finishing a length clear of World Champions Italy.

Moe had started the Rio Olympiad in the eight and helped to secure a historic first-ever World Championship gold for a British crew in Chungju in 2013.

In 2014, he was selected for the men’s four for the first time in six years but it was a move that proved tremendously successful as Moe, Gregory, Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Nash remained unbeaten throughout the season.  After securing a first European Championships title of his career, Moe also won gold at the World Cups in Aiguebelette and Lucerne before the four produced an outstanding clear-water victory at the World Championships in Amsterdam.

An enthralling 2015 saw Moe return to the eight and, along with his crew-mates, enjoy a season-long battle with Germany. After having to settle for silver at the European Championships, GB won World Cup gold in Varese and Lucerne by fractions of a second. The drama continued at the World Championships in Aiguebelette as GB edged out their rivals by two-tenths of a second to claim gold for a third successive year.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

When Moe won men’s eight bronze at London 2012, he was one of six Team GB medallists to come through the GB Rowing Team Start Programme – the ground-breaking talent identification and development initiative supported by National Lottery funding.

He first gained a place in the senior men’s eight in 2009 and won two World Cup bronze medals. He finished the season in the men’s pair with James Foad, finishing eighth at the World U23s in Racice.

Moe spent the remainder of the London Olympiad in the men’s eight, starting with an impressive 2010 that saw the GB crew win gold and two bronze medals in the World Cup series before securing a fine silver at the World Championships in New Zealand.

They repeated that achievement the following year in Bled, rowing through opposition from Canada and Australia to once again finish runners-up to Germany.

World Cup silver in Belgrade and Lucerne, plus bronze in Munich, saw the GB men’s eight go into the London 2012 Olympics among the medal favourites and they went on to claim bronze behind Germany and Canada.

GB Competitive Record

Year	Event	Position	Boat
2019	World Rowing Championships Linz Ottensheim, AUT	Bronze	M8+
2019	World Rowing Cup III Rotterdam, NED	Gold	M8+
2019	World Rowing Cup II Poznan, POL	Silver	M8+
2019	European Rowing Championships Lucerne, SUI	Silver	M8+
2018	World Rowing Championships Plovdiv, BUL	Bronze	M8+
2018	World Rowing Cup II Linz Ottensheim, AUT	Silver	M8+
2018	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Silver	M8+
2017	World Rowing Championships Sarasota-Bradenton, USA	Bronze	M4-
2017	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Gold	M4-
2017	World Rowing Cup II Poznan, POL	Silver	M4-
2017	European Rowing Championships Racice, CZE	5	M4-
2017	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Gold	M4-
2016	Olympic Games Regatta Rio de Janeiro, BRA	Gold	M4-
2016	World Rowing Cup III Poznan, POL	Gold	M4-
2016	World Rowing Cup II Lucerne, SUI	Gold	M4-
2016	European Rowing Championships Brandenburg, GER	Gold	M4-
2015	World Rowing Championships Aiguebelette, FRA	Gold	M8+
2015	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Gold	M8+
2015	World Rowing Cup II Varese, ITA	Gold	M8+
2015	European Rowing Championships Poznan, POL	Silver	M8+
2014	World Rowing Championships Amsterdam, NED	Gold	M4-
2014	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Bronze	M8+
2014	World Rowing Cup II Aiguebelette, FRA	Gold	M4-
2014	European Rowing Championships Belgrade, SRB	Gold	M4-
2013	World Rowing Championships Chungju, KOR	Gold	M8+
2013	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	4	M8+
2013	World Rowing Cup II Eton, GBR	Gold	M8+
2013	World Rowing Cup I Sydney, AUS	Gold	M8+
2012	Olympic Games London, GBR	Bronze	M8+
2012	World Rowing Cup III Munich, GER	Bronze	M8+
2012	World Rowing Cup II Lucerne, SUI	Silver	M8+
2012	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Silver	M8+
2011	World Rowing Championships Bled, SLO	Silver	M8+
2011	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Bronze	M8+
2011	World Rowing Cup I Munich, GER	Silver	M8+
2010	World Rowing Championships Karapiro, NZL	Silver	M8+
2010	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Bronze	M8+
2010	World Rowing Cup II Munich, GER	Bronze	M8+
2010	World Rowing Cup I Bled, SLO	Gold	M8+
2009	Under 23 World Rowing Championships Racice, CZE	2 (FB Final)	BM2-
2009	World Rowing Cup II Munich, GER	Bronze	M8+
2009	World Rowing Cup I Banyoles, ESP	Bronze	M8+
2008	World Rowing U Brandenburg, GER	6	BM4-
2007	Under 23 World Rowing Championships Glasgow, GBR	Bronze	BM4-
2007	World Rowing Cup II Amsterdam, NED	1 (FC Final)	M4-
2006	World Rowing Junior Championships Amsterdam, NED	5	JM2-

More Info

Moe was first identified as a potential Olympian in 2003, while still a pupil at Hollyfield School in Surbiton, and won U15 gold at the Great Britain Indoor Rowing Championships later that year.

After setting the fastest 2km ergo test time of any junior trialist, Moe was selected for the men’s pair at the 2006 World Junior Championships and finished fifth alongside Charles Cousins.

A breakthrough 2007 saw Moe win men’s four gold and two silvers at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, then make his senior debut in the four at the World Cup in Amsterdam before winning bronze in the four at the World U23 Championships in Glasgow.

Moe also finished sixth in the men’s four at the following year’s U23 Championships in Brandenburg.

Club	Squad	Coach
Molesey Boat Club	Men’s Squad	Jürgen Grobler

Learnt to row	Original Club	Original Coach(es)
Molesey Boat Club with the GB Rowing Team Start Programme	Molesey Boat Club	Sue McNuff, Neasa Folan

 

 

Beyond The Boat

Moe was a sporty youngster and tried his hand at football and tennis before being identified as a potential rowing champion.  He is a keen basketball fan and an Arsenal FC supporter, with his other interests being film and music.

English born of Moroccan descent, Moe can speak a dialect of Arabic and regularly visits his family in Tangiers.

Moe is grateful to his former coach, Sue McNuff for her patience in teaching him everything he now knows about rowing.

He is Lottery funded through UK Sport.

Personal Information

Current Address	Home Town	Surrey
Surbiton	Surbiton	Surrey

Date of Birth	Height
27 March 1988	203cm

Education
Hollyfield School, St. Mary’s University College

GB Competitive Record

Year	Event	Position	Boat
2019	World Rowing Championships Linz Ottensheim, AUT	Bronze	M8+
2019	World Rowing Cup III Rotterdam, NED	Gold	M8+
2019	World Rowing Cup II Poznan, POL	Silver	M8+
2019	European Rowing Championships Lucerne, SUI	Silver	M8+
2018	World Rowing Championships Plovdiv, BUL	Bronze	M8+
2018	World Rowing Cup II Linz Ottensheim, AUT	Silver	M8+
2018	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Silver	M8+
2017	World Rowing Championships Sarasota-Bradenton, USA	Bronze	M4-
2017	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Gold	M4-
2017	World Rowing Cup II Poznan, POL	Silver	M4-
2017	European Rowing Championships Racice, CZE	5	M4-
2017	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Gold	M4-
2016	Olympic Games Regatta Rio de Janeiro, BRA	Gold	M4-
2016	World Rowing Cup III Poznan, POL	Gold	M4-
2016	World Rowing Cup II Lucerne, SUI	Gold	M4-
2016	European Rowing Championships Brandenburg, GER	Gold	M4-
2015	World Rowing Championships Aiguebelette, FRA	Gold	M8+
2015	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Gold	M8+
2015	World Rowing Cup II Varese, ITA	Gold	M8+
2015	European Rowing Championships Poznan, POL	Silver	M8+
2014	World Rowing Championships Amsterdam, NED	Gold	M4-
2014	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Bronze	M8+
2014	World Rowing Cup II Aiguebelette, FRA	Gold	M4-
2014	European Rowing Championships Belgrade, SRB	Gold	M4-
2013	World Rowing Championships Chungju, KOR	Gold	M8+
2013	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	4	M8+
2013	World Rowing Cup II Eton, GBR	Gold	M8+
2013	World Rowing Cup I Sydney, AUS	Gold	M8+
2012	Olympic Games London, GBR	Bronze	M8+
2012	World Rowing Cup III Munich, GER	Bronze	M8+
2012	World Rowing Cup II Lucerne, SUI	Silver	M8+
2012	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Silver	M8+
2011	World Rowing Championships Bled, SLO	Silver	M8+
2011	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Bronze	M8+
2011	World Rowing Cup I Munich, GER	Silver	M8+
2010	World Rowing Championships Karapiro, NZL	Silver	M8+
2010	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Bronze	M8+
2010	World Rowing Cup II Munich, GER	Bronze	M8+
2010	World Rowing Cup I Bled, SLO	Gold	M8+
2009	Under 23 World Rowing Championships Racice, CZE	Silver	BM2-
2009	World Rowing Cup II Munich, GER	Bronze	M8+
2009	World Rowing Cup I Banyoles, ESP	Bronze	M8+
2008	World Rowing U Brandenburg, GER	6	BM4-
2007	Under 23 World Rowing Championships Glasgow, GBR	Bronze	BM4-
2007	World Rowing Cup II Amsterdam, NED	Gold	M4-
2006	World Rowing Junior Championships Amsterdam, NED	5	JM2-