Tõnu Endrekson, one of Estonia’s most decorated rowers, is now responsible for building the country’s next Olympic cycle. The six-time Olympian, Beijing 2008 silver medallist, Rio 2016 bronze medallist and three-time European champion replaced former head coach Veikko Sinisalo and has a single clear target: getting the next generation of Estonian crews qualified for Los Angeles 2028.

Endrekson’s last race for Estonia was at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the only one of his six Olympic appearances where he did not make an A-final. The Estonian Rowing Association unanimously confirmed him as head coach in late October 2025, according to ERR, weeks after he and fellow veteran Allar Raja publicly announced they were ending their careers at celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Estonian rowing in Tartu.

“This decision was definitely not easy,” Endrekson explained ERR. “I still took time to think. I know what it entails when you’re a head coach. It’s not just being a rowing club coach, there’s much more to it.”

In a feature published by World Rowing on 8 July 2026, Endrekson outlined the coaching philosophy he is applying to a young squad still finding its feet at international level.

Coaching Boat Feel

Despite his new position as the coach in the launch, Endrekson still occasionally jumps into the double sculls with his younger scullers to give them in-boat feedback.

“You can sit in a motor boat and explain, but it’s almost impossible,” he said. “But if you sit in a double then you can feel it, feel the oars and feel through the footplate, and then you can explain what should be the feeling. I tried that and that works quite good.”

The method gives a 22-year-old sculler something no video analysis or shouted instruction can replicate: the sensation of shared rhythm with a man who raced 30 years at the top. Two of the athletes benefiting most directly are Kaarel Kiiver and Christopher Hein, both 22, whom Endrekson is developing through on-water double-sculls work.

“I already taught some young guys in the past two years, before I quit professional rowing,” he said. His transition into coaching had already begun. Endrekson had been passing on technical knowledge during the Paris campaign alongside Raja, and those younger crew members are now carrying that experience further.

The Road to LA

Early results suggest progress: Estonia’s quad placed ninth at World Rowing Cup I this season and improved to fifth at World Rowing Cup III.

“Technically they are improving, but physically they have to work hard,” he said.

Estonia is a small rowing nation, and Endrekson is frank about the difficulty of recruiting athletes willing to endure the sport’s physical demands in a world that offers easier paths.

“There is a big difference because when we were young guys there were no phones and internet and everything. If you want to get outside Estonia, then sport is the option,” he said. “But right now the world is open for you. Rowing is very hard, it’s not easy to find young guys who really want to get to the top. It’s not easy. These guys are 22, 23, and when I was 22, 23 I know that I was in better shape already.”

The job is to build depth in a country where competitive rowing must compete with open borders and smartphones for the attention of young athletes.

Endrekson intends to stay fit enough to demonstrate lifting and rowing technique himself, which keeps him close to the sport’s physical demands.

Living the Standard

Endrekson’s international career began in 1996 at the World Rowing Junior Championships. His medal haul across three decades includes five world bronze medals alongside his Olympic and European titles. When World Rowing interviewed him in Lucerne for the 2026 feature, it was on the same course where he considers his finest race took place: the 2007 World Rowing Cup III men’s double sculls with Jüri Jaanson.

“That was our race, the race of our lives,” he said. “The boat was so smooth out of the water. That was the best race.”

The job now is to make sure younger Estonians know what that kind of speed feels like, one stroke at a time.