Daniel Topolski was a British author, rower, rowing coach and commentator on British Broadcasting Corporation television
Background
The son of the Polish artist Feliks Topolski and actress Marian Everall, Daniel attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in London, before going to Westminster School and New College, Oxford, where he read geography. He was taught sculling by his father, on Regent"s Park lake in London, and captained Westminster School"s rowing eight.
Education
He studied at the University of Oxford where he represented the Blue boat twice, in 1967 and 1968.
Career
He also coached British squads at two separate Olympic Games. After retiring from coaching he commentated on rowing at the Olympic Games and Boat Races. While at Oxford, he rowed in the University Boat Race on two occasions.
In the 1967 race, rowing at number seven, he helped Oxford to their third consecutive victory.
The following year, this time rowing at bow, he suffered defeat. Relatively lightly built for a rower, he gained 24 pounds (11 kg) to qualify for the 1967 race.
Topolski"s rowing career included a gold medal in the 1977 World Championships in Amsterdam, in the lightweight eights, and a silver medal in the 1975 World Championships in Nottingham, in the coxless fours. During his rowing career, Topolski appeared at the Henley Royal Regatta on 74 occasions, winning the Henley Medal four times.
He was the finishing coach for Oxford University"s Boat Race crew from 1973 to 1987.
Toploski coached the British rowing squads competing at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. He also coached the British women"s eight between 1978 and 1980. He acted as a commentator for the British Broadcasting Corporation at the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Outside rowing, Topolski worked as a researcher for the British Broadcasting Corporation until 1973.
He published two travel books Muzungu: One Manitoba"s Africa (1976) was based on his travels in Africa for eight months in 1972.
Travels with My Father: A South American Journey (1983) was based on a tour of South America with his father in 1981, which resulted in his arrest and imprisonment in Paraguay. He also published two books about rowing, The Oxford Revival (1985) and True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny (1989.
With Patrick Robinson).
He wrote for The Observer for more than twenty years.