The Oxford educated son of the acclaimed painter Felix Topolski, Daniel Topolski was a champion rower and rowing coach. As finishing coach for the Oxford University Boat Race crew between 1973 and 1987 and British Olympic rowing team coach in 1980 and 1984, Topolski had great success and subsequently won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 1989 with his book True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny. He also won a Travelex Radio Award in 1993 for his BBC series Topolski’s Travels, was married to the Howards’ Way actress Susan Gilmore and had three children.
A fine man with a kind heart. May Daniel rest in peace. I am thinking of his wife and daughters.
[…] London this Saturday, the 161st Boat Race will take place. One person who will sadly be missing is Daniel Topolski (1945 – 2015). A former Oxford rowing coach turned BBC Sport rowing commentator, Topolski was […]
[…] Daniel Topolski, who will be remembered at a service later this month, spent many years tirelessly fundraising to create a space to house his Royal Academician father’s impressive 600-foot ‘Memoir of the Century’ artwork. That space has now morphed into a café-bar and in it a series of works from the collection are displayed. […]
[…] In The Cancer Research Boat Race, held this year on Easter Sunday at 4.10pm, the Oxford crew will row in boat named ‘Daniel’ in honour of the late Daniel Topolski (1945 – 2015). […]