Australian rowing champion Georgia Nesbitt’s road to recovery after Tolosa Park, Hobart bike crash

One of Tasmania’s most talented rowing exports is bouncing back after a horrific bike crash put her in an induced coma with a brain injury and a broken jaw. See how she’s holding up >

One of Tasmania’s most talented rowing exports is making a miraculous recovery after a horrific bike crash put her in an induced coma with a brain injury and a broken jaw.

Georgia Nesbitt, an eight-time Australian rowing champion and multiple time World Rowing Championship medallist, left the sporting world in shock when she came off her bike at a criterium race at Hobart’s Tolosa Park on March 10.

Australian rowing champion Georgia Nesbitt is on the road to recovery after a horrific bike crash left her in a coma. Picture: Rowing Australia.

Nesbitt, 31, received care on scene from an off-duty nurse until critical care paramedics arrived, before being rushed to Royal Hobart Hospital.

She underwent surgery for the broken jaw and was placed in an induced coma for a brain injury.

Nesbitt’s mother, Jenny, told Rowing Australia of the moment doctors expressed concerns her daughter may have suffered brain damage.

“We just had a feeling that it wasn’t great. The doctors don’t want to instil too much positivity in you because it’s a very unknown situation with head injuries like Georgia’s, in terms of what the outcome may be,” she told the publication.

Georgia Nesbitt on the way to victory in the Australian Rowing Championships open lightweight women's single scull at Lake Barrington. Picture: Linda Higginson

“It’s just a matter of waiting to see how each individual patient responds.”

Nesbitt’s mother praised the level of care at the Royal, and said “every step of the way the communication and care has been fantastic,” she told Rowing Australia.

The rowing champion, who lives in South Hobart, spent 17 days in intensive care and awoke with no recollection of the crash.

Rowing Australia reported Nesbitt was showing a fierce commitment to her rehabilitation, and was making strides in her recovery, despite having residual left side paralysis.

The publication revealed Nesbitt was aiming to be home within a matter of weeks.

Nesbitt told Rowing Australia the recovery process was “slow” but was “giving 100 per cent” in her physiotherapy appointments.

Georgia Nesbitt at her South Hobart home with her schnoodle Frankie during the COVID-19 pandemic. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Nesbitt has represented the Australian Rowing Team ten times, including winning a Silver Medal at the 2017 World Championships. She is on the board of Rowing Tasmania.

Georgia was seven-time Australian champion in the Lightweight Women’s Single Scull (twice in U23 and five times in Open class).

She also works as a lawyer in Hobart.