GB Rowing Team Archives - 91ÌÒÉ« /category/gb-rowing-team/ The National Governing Body for Rowing Sat, 30 May 2026 13:39:39 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 Great Britain makes strong start to World Rowing Cup season /2026/05/great-britain-makes-strong-start-to-world-rowing-cup-season/ Fri, 29 May 2026 16:54:57 +0000 /?p=96923 British crews reached four A-Finals and seven semi-finals on day 1 of the 2026 World Rowing Cup I in Seville, showing strong performances in the blistering heat

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Racing began with the Women’s Single Sculls, where last year’s World Rowing Cup winner Lauren Henry was in the final heat. Lauren posted the fastest heat time of 7:34.06 to progress confidently through to Saturday’s semi-finals.

“I’ve been waiting for that moment since Shanghai really. Good to get out there, good to get a good heat down, and I’m really excited for the weekend going forward,” Lauren said.

“It’s always exciting at the start of a new season to see how everybody has come out of the winter block – not just yourself, or the other British crews, but the rest of the world,” she added.

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

Also producing the fastest heat time, and qualifying directly for the A-final, was the Women’s Quadruple Sculls crew of Sarah McKay, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Finn Stratton. They led through every marker and will race again on Sunday.

“That was fun,” said Lola afterwards. “It’s nice to come to a new race course, it’s a bit more exciting for everyone and Seville’s such a beautiful one, so it was really fun just to get down the track and get the first one done.

“We’ve been working really hard to maintain that unity and depth across our squad throughout our winter, so although it’s a new combination it doesn’t feel too dissimilar from everything we’ve been working on.”

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

The Men’s Four of Dan Graham, James Robson, Douwe De Graaf and George Bourne picked up where they left off after winning the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai. After taking a lead of over three seconds at 500m the British boat were able to look back on the field and cruise to victory and a place in the semi-finals.

“It was really fun to be back on the start line as a unit. All went perfectly to plan really, we had a really good start, kind of jumped out then found a really nice long rhythm which let us move away through the middle K,” said Dan.

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

The Women’s Four also qualified for the A-final, after third place in their heat. The boat, including Women’s Eight world bronze medallist Eleanor Brinkhoff, and World Rowing Cup debutants Angharad Broughton, Sarah Marshall and Holly Youd, were in the mix throughout their race, exchanging second and third place with New Zealand before finishing a very close third on the line. Their time was the fourth-fastest of the six boats progressing to the final.

“It’s a new combination, it’s been a long winter training, so it’s fun to get out racing again in the summer regattas,” Eleanor said. “Hopefully we’ve learned some stuff going into the final on Sunday.”

The new-look Men’s Quadruple Sculls crew of James Cartwright, James Gare, Matthew Haywood and Rory Harris took time to build into their heat, but stayed calm to move through the field in the middle 1000m and take second place, automatically putting them in tomorrow’s semi-finals.

Matt said: “It was good fun. It’s always nice to get back out there, get back to some summer racing – that’s what we do it for, it’s what all the training’s for.

“We’re relatively happy with that as a first race. We know where we need to go, we know what we need to work on, a pretty solid start.”

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

The British scullers also showed strong performances in the double sculls, with both crews qualifying for the semi-finals. Callum Dixon and Tobias Schroeder were drawn in a challenging Men’s Double Sculls heat including a new Dutch combination of proven medallists and Rio 2016 Olympic champions Martin and Valent Sinkovic of Croatia, but showed composure to claim the important second place behind the Dutch.

“It was quite daunting seeing the line-up for the heat last night, for both of our first time racing in the double together, but we’ve done well in training and just wanted to do what we’ve done before, and see where it landed us. There’s room to improve, but it was a good start,” said Tobias.

The development crew of Ed Fuller and Matt Long also progressed to the semi-finals based on time – pushing out the Sinkovic brothers in the process. Ed said: “It was a really solid row, I’m quite happy with it. We know how competitive of an event the men’s double is, so we didn’t put any expectations on the result, we just wanted to go in chasing a good row rather than a good result and see where we ended up.

“Maybe we didn’t get out of the blocks as perfect as we would have liked, but then from 300 into the race onwards we found a really nice rhythm. To be in an A/B semi-final is really cool, so we’re going to give it our best tomorrow and see what comes off.”

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

In the Women’s Double Sculls Becky Wilde and Cam Nyland started strongly and rowed a consistent middle of the race, just being pipped on the line by Romania 2 – but qualifying for the semi-finals based on time.

“We’ve literally been together about two weeks, so every piece we’ve done together we’re really learning. To get the first one out of the way is a relief, and now we can step on throughout the regatta,” Becky said.

The men’s pair of James Vogel and Matt Rowe were fifth in their heat, but qualify for the semi-finals based on time. They were involved in a close battle with Norway and Ireland to 1500m and want to step on in Saturday’s race.

“We were beaten by some fast crews, but there’s two more races to try and react to that and do a good job,” said Matt.

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

Both the Men’s and Women’s Eights had preliminary races for lanes. The Women’s Eight – Lizzie Witt, Jade Lindo, Lauren Irwin, Katherine George, Amelia Standing, Megan Slabbert, Heidi Long, Annie Campbell-Orde and cox Jack Tottem – tracked the Netherlands closely in the first half of the race before getting their bows in front and finish with a win.

Megan said: “That was a super-exciting race. We have half of us back in the crew from last year, so it’s really exciting to come back where we left off – maybe even faster – and see where we’re at,” Megan said.

She joked in the last 500m she was thinking: “It is so hot, my mouth is so dry,” but added: “Really it was just cling on and trust all the work we’ve been doing.”

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

The Men’s Eight (Matt Aldridge, Fergus Woolnough, Gabriel Obholzer, Sam Nunn, David Bewicke-Copley, Harry Geffen, Miles Beeson, Archie Drummond and cox Tom Bryce) were also in a close race with world champions the Netherlands and Romania. A strong start from the Dutch forced the British men to fight back with a strong middle 1000m, and they finished third but with lessons learned.

“I think we executed some parts of our plan how we wanted to, and others maybe not so well. We look to build for the final,” Sam said.

The Women’s Pair and Men’s Single Scull will both race minor finals on Saturday. Racing reserves Juliette Perry and Lauren Carey had a solid race but missed out of the top 12 based on time, and will contest the C-final.

World Cup debutant Adam Oliver raced well in his Single Sculls heat to secure a quarter-final spot, and went again in the afternoon session. He will race the D-final on Saturday, in a field which will also include reigning world champion Stefanos Ntouskos of Greece.

“I did my best out there, and that’s all I can ask for, I think,” said Adam. “I did catch a crab about 250 in and that just put me away from the pack. I was definitely hoping to sneak into that A/B semi, but I’ll take it.”

Interim Director of Performance Tom Dyson said: “Today’s racing has been an encouraging start for the team with 11 crews moving onto semi-finals or A finals. As the first races of the season, the most important thing will be the learnings that everyone takes into their next race. We’ve had our first insight into our crews’ performances in racing and will now be looking at how they can move on through the regatta.”

Racing continues on Saturday from 08:40 BST with the minor finals; the first semi-final is at 10:05 BST.

full crews and follow the racing

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U23 World Champions Geffen and Obholzer: From transatlantic rivals to Great Britain teammates /2026/05/u23-world-champions-geffen-and-obholzer-from-transatlantic-rivals-to-great-britain-teammates/ Thu, 28 May 2026 17:03:08 +0000 /?p=96859 Ahead of racing in Seville at World Rowing Cup I, hear from Gabriel Obholzer and Harry Geffen about their intertwined rowing journeys

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Rowing is full of historic rivalries. Right at the top of the list are the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races and the Harvard/Yale (or Yale/Harvard, depending on which camp you are in) Regatta.

To be involved with one of these great races sees any rower write their name into the history books. To race in two of them is a special feat that few get to experience. Gabriel Obholzer and Harry Geffen are two of those who have lived and breathed these storied rivalries.

Obholzer, whose father Rupert previously raced for Great Britain, spent four years studying at Harvard while Geffen raced for the Yale Bulldogs under the watchful eye of the legendary Steve Gladstone. After finishing their studies in the US, the two returned to British soil, where Geffen rowed for the Dark Blues of Oxford University, and Obholzer represented the Light Blues of Cambridge University.

Despite their duals against one another around the world, the two members of the British Men’s Eight for World Rowing Cup I in Seville have supported one another throughout U23 campaigns in red, white, and blue. Most notably, the two sat in the Men’s Eight that won gold at the 2025 U23 World Rowing Championships.

“Gabe and I have been racing together for the last five years,” explained Geffen.

“I’ve won a couple of them and lost a few more, but it’s been good. He’s a really good rower, so it’s nice to be in the same boat as him!”

Back in April, the two squared off against one another for the final time. After Obholzer and Cambridge won the Boat Race, the two were looking forward to racing and supporting each other on the same team.

“Before we got in the boats for the race back in April, we came together and said that, ‘this is the last race we are going to do on opposite teams before coming together, so going forward, whether we win or lose, at least we’re on the same team,” said Obholzer.

Credit: AllMarkOne

“I think doing the Boat Race has actually prepared me really well for coming and training at Caversham. It’s serious training with a great technical model at Cambridge, and I felt I was in the best shape of my life before coming into Caversham, so it was great preparation.

“It keeps you honest racing against a guy like Harry. You can’t slack off too much, and you have to keep hitting the weights and training hard.

“I think you can look across and when you see the same faces looking across the water, you realise that this could be your equivalent from the other programme. Harry has stepped on so much this year, and I saw that at U23s as well. It reminds you that even though I’m doing well at my programme, there’s a guy on the other team, in the other colours, who’s doing really well as well, so you have to train even harder.

Geffen has been doing more than well. After stroking the U23 Eight to gold in 2022, he won gold in the Pair and Four, before winning again in the Eight last year. After conquering the U23 scene, Geffen made his senior debut at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, racing with James Vogel in the Men’s Pair.

“Rowing has had an enormous impact on me,” said Geffen.

Credit: AllMarkOne

“I’ve learned what it’s like to be a part of a team, to push, to be pushed, to fight your way into a seat. Those are soft skills that definitely take you further than rowing.

“We were lucky to be recruited out to the United States; that was a huge opportunity and something people are starting to take advantage of. There’s a whole network of people who have done that path and are willing to help, provide support, and offer advice. The sport is a great community.”

After the two impressed at U23 level, both have ambitions of racing at the Olympic Games, as Obholzer explained, “At university level, you always want to win all of your races for your university, but in the back of your mind, the pinnacle of rowing is the World Rowing Championships and the Olympics.

“As you’re progressing through college, you’re always wondering if you are going to be good enough to make it to that next level, so to make it here is great, but to win is the ultimate goal.”

“This was both of our goals when we were racing each other five years ago. We hoped that one day we would come together and race when we were trading shirts after duals in the United States,” added Geffen.

These goals haven’t just been set in the past couple of years. They have been shaping their lives for a decade, right from the moment they first set foot in a boat.

“When I was 15, I thought I could be pretty good at this,” said Obholzer.

“I set a goal for 10 years in the future to go to the Olympics and maybe win a gold medal. Working towards an overarching goal through different phases of your life is really helpful. It keeps you on track, keeps you focused, and rowing has helped me stay focused on that element of my life.”

“The first time I was in a big eight, it was carnage, but I got a real sense of how fast and exciting it was. There are nine guys all in the boat together trying to make it move fast with a lot of moving parts, and that’s pretty special,” added Geffen.

After years of racing against each other, Obholzer and Geffen are firmly entrenched in the same camp. The two will look to grow together as they embrace the international racing circuit and come to terms with new opposition from all four corners of the globe. Rivalries have been set aside and they will cheer on the same team
 apart from form two days a year when light blue races dark blue, and the Crimson take on the Bulldogs.

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Eleanor Brinkhoff: From Dundee Fresher to European Champion /2026/05/eleanor-brinkhoff-from-dundee-fresher-to-european-champion/ Wed, 27 May 2026 11:30:58 +0000 /?p=96774 After winning bronze at last year’s World Rowing Championships, Eleanor Brinkhoff is ready to get back to racing on the international stage

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Dundee to Caversham is a long journey. It’s even further when you go via Australia.

11 years ago, rowing was one of dozens of sports that Eleanor Brinkhoff signed up to at Dundee University’s Freshers Fair. Just like thousands of students up and down the country, the 2025 European Champion put her name down for just about everything under the sun as committee members looked to entice the latest batch of members.

Rowing wasn’t completely unfamiliar to Brinkhoff. It runs in the family.

“My grandad rowed,” explained Brinkhoff, who won bronze in the Women’s Eight at the 2025 World Rowing championships.

“I coxed him when I was around eight years old when I went to visit him, he’s from Germany. I gave all the sports a go, but decided that rowing was new, different, and I stuck with it.”

Dundee University Boat Club calls the River Tay home. Despite its unique charms, Brinkhoff has made a career out of the sport.

“Dundee was pretty crazy because we didn’t have a pontoon. “It wasn’t really a rowing university in any sense of the imagination back then. We were wading into the river, sometimes waist deep, to get our boats out; we didn’t have any facilities up there.”

 

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Racing at Dundee culminated in a successful campaign at Henley Women’s Regatta. Brinkhoff and her crew reached the final of The Frank V Harry Cup for Development Coxed Fours, after beating Bath University, Edinburgh University, and Agecroft Rowing Club, before racing her future club, Tideway Scullers School.

While soaking in the Henley Women’s atmosphere, Brinkhoff got a call about a job at Gippsland Grammar School in Australia. Just like that, the next chapter was starting to write itself. Alongside getting stuck into 18 coaching sessions a week, the Cheltenham native kept up with training, picking up another blade and also got stuck into racing down under. This included the Australian National Championships, where she won a silver medal.

Brinkhoff still keeps up to date with the results of the school she was coaching with, and she’s delighted to see that this year has been a good one for Gippsland.

 

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After stints with Tideway Scullers and Leander Club, Brinkhoff settled into Caversham in December 2023. A senior team debut would come the following year at World Rowing Cup III in Poznan, Poland, where she placed fifth in the Women’s Four, a boat she’ll return to in Seville for the first time in two years. After a long winter, Brinkhoff and the crew are ready to clock in for international racing.

“It’s been a hard winter, and now we’re at the fun bit of the year, so I’m excited to get going.
Some of the Trials have gone well this season, which is exciting. Camp is always a good break from Caversham, but generally, it’s a long slog in the small boats in the cold, so it’s nice that the weather will start to change and we get to race overseas.

“It’s fun to be in a different boat class. I rowed the Pair and the Eight last year, so it’s nice to do the other one! It’s a smaller group with new faces, so it’s nice to get that up and running without too much pressure on it either.

Brinkhoff will race in a new-look Women’s Four. Off the back of a historic win in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, Sarah Marshall will race in red, white, and blue for the first time. Molesey Boat Club’s Angharad Broughton, who recently travelled to the Windermere Cup as a reserve, and Holly Youd will also make their first appearances. Youd is a previous World Champion, having won gold in the U23 competition two summers ago.

“I’m excited to have a bit of consistency and have a project going. Progress isn’t linear, but I think to work things out and see yourself progressing in that crew is gun. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do on an international stage.”

“If I told myself 10 years ago that I would be racing for Great Britain, I wouldn’t really have believed it. To have another season to go again is really fun.”

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U23 World Champion Finn Stratton ready for senior debut at World Rowing Cup I /2026/05/u23-world-champion-finn-stratton-ready-for-senior-debut-at-world-rowing-cup-i/ Mon, 25 May 2026 13:39:34 +0000 /?p=96749 Ahead of flying to Seville, Finn Stratton sat down and reflected on her rowing journey from the River Avon to the Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake

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For Finn Stratton, the past couple of years have featured some incredible highs. It’s no surprise that her rise through the rankings has coincided with Reading University Boat Club cementing itself at the very top of student rowing.

Since BUCS Regatta 2023, Stratton has been filling up her trophy cabinet. Gold medals across the Championship events at BUCS Regatta sit proudly next to a purple box from Henley Women’s Regatta, as well as a bronze and gold from two successful campaigns at the World Rowing U23 Championships in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls.

After winning the Women’s Single Sculls at the November Trials in Boston, Stratton will make her senior debut at World Rowing Cup I in Seville. After learning to row at Avon County Rowing Club, the 23-year-old can hardly believe the journey she has been on.

“I learned to row in single sculls, and I was very wobbly,” said the Reading University Boat Club Student.

“My big plastic tub of a boat was tied to a rope for a while! It was all driven by volunteers, and I fell in a fair few times even at regattas; we had so much fun. It’s such a good club and the culture is fantastic. It’s far away from what I’m doing now, but I do go back and visit, and it’s nice to see everyone where you’ve come from
I think they have a boat named after me!

“One of my highlights was racing at the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta. One year, we came third in the quad. We would go and camp at Holme Pierrepont, and that experience was great. That was amazing to represent WAGS and Wales.”

Reading University Boat Club has been a catalyst for Stratton’s success. Led by Director of Rowing Will Rand and Performance Coach Chris Bartley, the Women’s Captain has flourished.

“Chris and Will really know what they are doing. The amount of support for every university athlete is amazing. The way the programme is built and the amount of time that goes in to making sure everyone has a good time, but also progressing in the way they want to progress and doing what they want to do. Whether that’s rowing at town regattas or the 91ÌÒÉ« Championships, or whatever they want to do, they push you to achieve your goals.”

Last year, Bartley was recognised for all of his efforts with Reading University Boat Club. He was awarded the Dan Topolski Development Coach of the Year trophy. Not only recognised for his work at Reading, but Chris was commended for his work with the U23 Women’s Quadruple Sculls of Stratton, Olivia Cheesmur, Poppy Baker, Ellie Cooke, who won U23 World Championship gold by clear water, almost 3 seconds ahead of crews from Germany and Poland.

Credit: Benedict Tufnell

Stratton will be one of three Reading University Boat Club rowers to be travelling to Seville. After winning Paralympic gold in the Mixed PR3 Coxed Four, Ed Fuller will race with Matt Long in the second British Double Scull. Long will make his senior team debut along with Stratton, fresh from winning the Championship Single Sculls, Double Sculls, and Quadruple Sculls at BUCS Regatta.

While Stratton wasn’t with the squad up in Nottingham, you can rest assured she was cheering from afar.

“I remember watching BUCS Regatta in the crew room. There’s quite a few of the team who have athletes they are watching over as well. To be able to watch them put out such great performances and just have so much fun while they are doing it is fantastic.

“I’ve been watching what the whole club has been doing while I’ve been here. The fact that I haven’t been involved with BUCS and they have achieved more than they have done has just been awesome to see.”

Despite being one of the younger members of the team, Stratton is eager to pick up as much knowledge as possible from those around her in the new training environment.

“I feel like I’m quite new to the team here, so I’m learning so much as I go along. For now, I want to make the most of the quad I’m in at the World Rowing Cup. The women I’m rowing with are more experienced than I am, and they are teaching me so much about how to row and so much else.

“The support here is very different to what we have at university. The coaches, the physios, nutritionists, all of these people you are working with day to day is quite different from university. Learning all of that is at the forefront of my mind. Looking forward, it’s targeting the World Championships and Olympics. LA2028 is obviously the big one. To make the Olympics and be an Olympian is everyone’s dream, so that’s my main goal.”

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“A lot of my key milestones have been with him”: How a Tyneside duo became a world-beating partnership /2026/05/a-lot-of-my-key-milestones-have-been-with-him-how-a-tyneside-duo-became-a-world-beating-partnership/ Sat, 23 May 2026 08:30:48 +0000 /?p=96740 Ahead of the first World Rowing Cup of the season, reigning World Champions Dan Graham and James Robson from the Men’s Coxless Four talk through their long careers by each other’s sides

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Dan Graham and James Robson go way back. All the way to the River Tyne to be precise. In September 2017, the two were at opposite ends of their university journey. A fresh-faced Graham arrived at Newcastle University Boat Club having made the short hop, skip, and jump from Tyne United Rowing Club, while Robson was gearing up for the final year of his Masters.

“I think Robson and I are coming up to our 10-year anniversary this season,” explained Graham.

“I remember when I was a J17 and I was doing pieces against him in single sculls. At least for me, a lot of my key milestones have been in a crew with him. My first Henley was with him, my first Henley win was with him, and my first World Cup back in 2023 in Lucerne was together.

“We missed a medal by 0.3s which was pretty cool but disappointing. Last summer, my first World Rowing Championships was with him…I can’t really get rid of him,” he said with a laugh.

“It fills me with such pride, watching him grow up in front of my eyes,” added an amused Robson.

Whether it’s Newcastle University Boat Club, Leander Club, or the Great Britain Rowing Team, the two have helped get the very best out of one another.

“We’re two people from Newcastle that have had decent senior international careers and joined a long list of people from Newcastle who have managed to do that. It’s a well-trodden path and we are just two of many who have done that. It’s been fun to feel like I’ve gone through most of my career with Dan.”

Joining the pair out in Seville are fellow Blue Star alumni Olympic Champion Lola Anderson, and Holly Youd. The latter will make her debut for the senior team having won the 2024 U23 World Rowing Championships in the Women’s Pair. Will Stewart, who won silver in the Men’s Eight in Shanghai and the Prince Albert Challenge Cup with Robson in 2017, travels as a reserve.

Robson, Graham, and Stewart were part of Newcastle’s Championship Eight at BUCS Regatta in 2018. An event that stands out in Robson’s memory for all sorts of reasons.

“My lasting memory of Dan was him forgetting to do his gate up in our Time Trial and his blade popped out with 300m to go! That was the lowest point in our racing relationship,” said a chuckling Robson.

“I’d say that’s fair enough,” laughed Graham.

Both are now settled into life at the National Training Centre. However, Robson along with crewmates from the Men’s Four George Bourne and Douwe De Graaf spent last season at Cambridge University, winning the Boat Race as part of a captivating line up.

A season training at Ely made their World Championships result all the more impressive, but the crew’s history of rowing together helped them succeed in Shanghai.

“I was the only member of the boat who had been based at Caversham for the majority of the year,” explained Graham.

“Those guys had been doing well during the Trials and it was clear they were some of the top guys in the country. I was curious as to what their approach was going to be once we got in a boat together.

“It was surprising but also refreshing that we didn’t take ourselves too seriously. I wasn’t sure what to expect joining up with them, but, Douwe and George know how to have a laugh in training. There’s always an undertone of seriousness and when they race you see a completely different side to them, which is cool.”

The crew got out to Shanghai and continued building momentum throughout the World Rowing Championships. They posted the fastest time in the heats, the fastest time in the semi-finals, and ultimately were crowned World Champions, a title they hope to hold after racing later this year in Amsterdam.

“The standard of international rowing is so high. Staying at the same level is not going to be enough this year,” emphasised Robson.

“We have to get better and we’re well aware of that. It’s been fun coming into training having a great reference point of what we need to do to go a certain speed but we know we need to push and be better if we want to achieve what we want to achieve. It’s a fun challenge for us to push the boundaries. It’s been a good start and we’re looking forward to getting out to Seville and testing ourselves against international crews in sunny Spain!”

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“The whole team is hungry to go racing”: World Champions and fresh faces unite for World Rowing Cup I /2026/05/the-whole-team-is-hungry-to-go-racing-world-champions-and-fresh-faces-unite-for-world-rowing-cup-i/ Tue, 19 May 2026 14:01:48 +0000 /?p=96613 48 athletes will travel to the first World Rowing Cup of the season, including eight who will represent Great Britain at senior level for the first time

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Great Britain has named 13 crews that will travel to Seville, Spain for World Rowing Cup I.

Back on the international stage for the first time since being crowned 2025 World Champions is the unchanged Men’s Four. Dan Graham, James Robson, Douwe de Graaf, and George Bourne raced together for the first time during their heat in Shanghai, China at last year’s World Rowing Championships. They went on to post the fastest time across the heats and the semi-finals, before conquering the world in their final, beating Romania and the Netherlands into second and third place respectively.

Lauren Henry is back racing in the Women’s Single Sculls. The 2024 Olympic Champion will look to emulate the success she saw at last year’s World Rowing Cups, where she won gold on both occasions.

Of the fresh faces flying to Seville to make their senior debuts next weekend, several of of them will feature in the Women’s Four. Off the back of a historic win in the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race, Sarah Marshall will race in a new-look Women’s Four. Molesey Boat Club’s Angharad Broughton, who recently travelled to the Windermere Cup as a reserve, and Holly Youd will also make their first appearances. Youd is a previous World Champion, having won gold in the U23 competition two summers ago. Joining them is Eleanor Brinkhoff, who brings valuable experience after winning bronze in the Women’s Eight in Shanghai.

Two boats that have already raced this season are the Men’s and Women’s Eights. Both crews were invited to the 40th edition of the Windermere Cup this April, with the women winning in Seattle. That triumphant combination remains unchanged as Lizzie Witt, Jade Lindo, Lauren Irwin, Katherine George, Amelia Standing, Megan Slabbert, Heidi Long, Annie Campbell-Orde, and Jack Tottem.

The Men’s Eight all return from racing in Seattle however, with a new order. Archie Drummond will stroke the boat, steered by Tom Bryce. Miles Beeson, Harry Geffen, David Bewicke-Copley, Sam Nunn, Gabriel Obholzer, Fergus Woolnough will follow Drummond, with Matt Aldridge in the bow seat.

Reading University Boat Club’s Finn Stratton steps up into the GB Women’s Quadruple Sculls, the boat she won gold in at last year’s World Rowing U23 Championships. After winning GB Rowing Team November Trials in her Single Scull, Stratton is the new addition to last year’s crew that won silver at the World Rowing Championships. Stratton will stroke the crew of World silver medallist Sarah McKay and Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallists Hannah Scott and Lola Anderson.

Lauren Carey will compete alongside Juliette Perry as racing reserves in the Women’s Pairs. Carey already has two U23 vests and a silver medal in the U23 Women’s Four to her name and combines with Perry who won bronze in the Women’s Eight at last year’s World Rowing Championships.

Tobias Schroder returns to the Men’s Double Scull, a boat he called home for the 2025 season. He’s joined by 2025 World silver medallist Callum Dixon from the Men’s Quadruple Sculls. Dixon has seen success in this boat class, having won gold at the U23 European Rowing Championships in 2021. As well as the rest of the world, the two returners will race a second, development, British crew.

The crew that won silver in the Men’s Quadruple Sculls has also been shaken up. Rory Harris and Matt Haywood return to the stern pair, and will be joined by James Cartwright and Jamie Gare. Cartwright began his rowing journey with the 91ÌÒÉ« Performance Development Academy at Gloucester Rowing Club before making his senior debut at World Rowing Cup Varese last summer. Gare, also a graduate of the Performance Development Academy system, raced all four events last season in the Men’s Double Sculls.

Two weeks ago, Ed Fuller and Matt Long helped Reading University Boat Club win the Victor Ludorum at BUCS Regatta, racing together in the Championship Quadruple Sculls and Double Sculls. Now, they will race as a development crew on the world stage.

Also making his debut and competing as a racing reserve is Tideway Scullers School’s Adam Oliver, entered into the Men’s Single Sculls. Oliver will race for Great Britain for the first time since 2022, when he competed in the Men’s Double Sculls at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Varese.

Cam Nyland is back from last season, joined by Olympic bronze medallist Becky Wilde in the Women’s Double Sculls.

James Vogel and Matt Rowe will contest the Men’s Pair. The two of them travelled as reserves to the Windermere Cup after both making their senior debuts last season, which include Vogel placing fourth in the Men’s Four in Varese, and Rowe winning the European Rowing Championships in the Men’s Eight.

“Following a season opener for some of the rowers at the Windermere Cup, Seville is a great opportunity for us to see how the team are performing as they emerge out of winter training and into the summer racing season,” said Interim Performance Director Tom Dyson.

“As this is the second year of the Olympiad, we should expect a step up in standard as this season progresses towards the World Rowing Championships. This event will be the first opportunity for the rowers to test themselves against the standard internationally, and I know the team is highly motivated for it.”

“The Women’s Squad has enjoyed a solid block of training since crews were finalised in April,” added Women’s Head Coach Andrew Randell.

“The Eight had a successful trip to the US, winning the Windermere Cup, and it has been pleasing to see them settle straight back into training at Caversham. The Women’s Four, a newly selected combination, has made solid progress, and we are looking forward to seeing them race in Seville. The reserve pair has progressed well and, as a result, will also race in Seville.

“On the sculling side, Lauren has enjoyed a solid winter and is looking forward to her first race of the season. Due to injury, the Quad has had interrupted preparation, but the new crew has settled well and produced some excellent performances in training. The newly selected combination of Becky and Cam continues to improve and will be an exciting prospect moving forward.”

“It’s been a hard winter, the kind where every session asks a bit more of you than the last,” explained Men’s Head Coach Paul Stannard.

“However, the squad has met it with real purpose. We’ve laid down months of honest work, and now there’s a real excitement about getting back on the start line. The atmosphere in the team across the Men’s, Women’s, Para’s and Beach squads is developing really well with genuine support for each other and a shared sense of purpose to be better every day when we’re together at the National Training Centre.

“Seville is our first chance this season as a whole team to see where we stand, to test ourselves properly, and the whole team is hungry to go racing.”

The GB Rowing Team to race World Rowing Cup I, Seville

Women’s Eight
Lizzie Witt (Leander Club / Imperial College BC)
Jade Lindo (Molesey BC / Twickenham RC)
Lauren Irwin (Leander Club / Durham University / Chester-le-Street ARC)
Katherine George (Leander Club)
Amelia Standing (Oxford University BC)
Megan Slabbert (Molesey BC)
Heidi Long (Oxford University BC / Leander Club)
Annie Campbell-Orde (Marlow RC/Leander Club)
Jack Tottem (cox) (Leander Club / Oxford University BC)
Coach: Andrew Randell

Women’s Four
Holly Youd (Molesey BC)
Sarah Marshall (Oxford University BC)
Angharad Broughton (Molesey BC)
Eleanor Brinkhoff (Leander Club / Dundee University BC)
Coach: Dan Moore

Women’s Pair
Lauren Carey (Leander Club)
Juliette Perry (Leander Club / Oxford University BC)
Coach: Dan Moore

Women’s Quadruple Sculls
Sarah McKay (Leander Club / Grosvenor RC)
Hannah Scott (Bann RC / Leander Club)
Lola Anderson (Leander Club / Newcastle University BC)
Finn Stratton (Reading University BC)
Coach: Darren Whiter

Women’s Double Sculls
Becky Wilde (Leander Club / Bath University BC)
Cam Nyland (Leander Club)
Coach: Helen Taylor

Women’s Single Scull
Lauren Henry (Leicester RC)
Coach: Andrew Randell

Men’s Eight
Matt Aldridge (Christchurch RC/Oxford Brookes University BC)
Fergus Woolnough (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Gabriel Obholzer (Cambridge University BC)
Sam Nunn (Oxford Brookes University BC)
David Bewicke-Copley (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Harry Geffen (Oxford University BC)
Miles Beeson (Leander Club)
Archie Drummond (Leander Club)
Tom Bryce (cox) (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Steve Trapmore

Men’s Four
Dan Graham (Leander Club)
James Robson (Cambridge University BC / Leander Club)
Douwe De Graaf (Leander Club)
George Bourne (Leander Club)
Coach: Christian Felkel

Men’s Pair
James Vogel (Leander Club)
Matt Rowe (Oxford Brookes University BC / Kingston RC)
Coach: Christian Felkel

Men’s Quadruple Sculls
James Cartwright (Leander Club)
Jamie Gare (Leander Club / City of Cambridge RC)
Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC / Burton Leander RC)
Rory Harris (Leander Club / Reading University BC)
Coach: Paul Stannard

Men’s Double Sculls 1
Callum Dixon (Twickenham RC)
Tobias Schröder (Leander Club / Oxford University BC)
Coach: Richard Chambers

Men’s Double Sculls 2
Ed Fuller (Reading University BC)
Matt Long (Reading University BC / Kingston RC)
Coach: Chris Bartley/Richard Chambers

Men’s Single Sculls
Adam Oliver (Tideway Scullers School)
Coach: Richard Chambers

Reserves: Joshua Bowesman-Jones and Will Stewart

Team Management and Support Staff
Team Leader – Tom Dyson
Team Manager – Jo Bates
Resources Manager – Karl Offord
Head Coach, Women – Andrew Randell
Head Coach, Men – Paul Stannard
Men’s Coach – Richard Chambers
Men’s Coach – Christian Felkel
Men’s Coach – Steve Trapmore
Women’s Coach – Dan Moore
Women’s Coach – Helen Taylor
Women’s Coach – Darren Whiter
Physiotherapist, Men – Stephen Greenan
Physiotherapist, Women – Beatrice Caitas
Sports Scientist – Molly Lloyd Jones
Doctor – Ann Redgrave
Resources Support – Dan Lockey
Resources Support – Henry Pearson
Resources Support (Outbound) – Paul Cobbett
Resources Support (Inbound) – Ben Wellburn
Sports Psychologist – Geoff Lovell
Coach Development – Holly Young

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Annie Campbell-Orde: “I love the sport and I want to be a part of it” /2026/05/annie-campbell-orde-i-love-the-sport-and-i-want-to-be-a-part-of-it/ Fri, 08 May 2026 20:36:49 +0000 /?p=96479 After racing for the GB Rowing Team for the first time since Paris, Fergus Mainland caught up with Annie Campbell-Orde to hear how it’s been settling back into the team and what she learned in her year away from full-time training

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There was a moment while walking out of Washington’s Conibear shellhouse, down to the waters of Union Bay, that had Annie Campbell-Orde reminiscing about a certain Parisian summer.

“Heidi Long, who was sitting behind me, said as we were boating, ‘You know the last time we rowed together
’

“I hadn’t really thought about it, but when she said it, she also said we had a good track record together, so let’s keep it going. I hadn’t registered Paris was my last race with the team as I had done a bit of rowing since then. That made me more excited as it had been a long time coming; it was cool to be back.”

The Olympic bronze medallist raced for Great Britain at the Windermere Cup for the first time since crossing the finish line at Stade nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne. A win by more than three seconds over the University of Washington and the Canadian National team was about as good a return as one can have.

This year’s Windermere Cup was a full-circle moment for the Marlow Rowing Club rower. In 2022, she won the event as part of a British development crew, her first time racing for the GB Rowing Team. Now in 2026, she’s winning again, and back with teammates she stood on the Paris podium with.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Campbell-Orde.

“I was going to say it was a nice way to ease back in, but it most certainly wasn’t! The University of Washington and Canada were fantastic opposition. It was weird, though, as it had been a little while. It was one of those that was very familiar, and a lot of memories came back.”

“The project came together quickly. We had Trials and then a few weeks, which involved constant testing, so it’s been quite a blur and a bit of a whirlwind trying to get there. I love an Eight, though, it’s the boat I’ve done the most, and I do like being a part of a big project. I find it loud, exciting, and good fun.”

After crossing the Olympic finish line, Campbell-Orde took a step back from international rowing. This was an opportunity to reflect on what she achieved, but also giving herself a taste of ‘normal’ life and give herself mental space.

“I got married, which was a huge highlight, and I stayed at my parents’ house for a month just because I could. Stuff like that, which is so normal, not even that exciting, but you do miss when you’re here and away. I’ve been reconnecting with friends, which was definitely an important thing to do.
It was difficult after the Olympics. People talk, but definitely not enough, about how difficult it is to know what to do. You can try and prepare before, but you don’t know if you’re going to be done or not.

“I thought I was done because I didn’t even think I’d go to the Olympics, let alone win an Olympic medal. So, I felt I had done everything.

“I still love the sport, I think I just had enough of the intense pressure. Getting a break allowed you to think about it a bit more rationally, and I don’t think I ever hit a stage where I wasn’t improving . I decided I wanted to see if I could improve more.”

Returning to full-time training is easier said than done, something the Olympic bronze medallist knows all too well. However, with the support from coaches and teammates, Campbell-Orde is already moving her own goalposts of expectations.

“Getting fit again has definitely been the hardest thing; it takes so long to get it back when it goes. That’s been quite frustrating because it doesn’t feel that long ago. I know all my numbers, and I know what I could do, and even now I can’t do those yet.

“I’ve had to be patient, but the coaches have been really good about it, and the staff at Caversham have been helpful, so it’s been easy to come back here, but not that easy to transition back to full-time training.

“I chatted with the coaches, ‘If I’m back on the down, just tell me,’ but I don’t think I ever stopped improving. Obviously, I will soon because I am older, but I wanted to see where I could get to, and I felt I still had something I could give and offer. I wanted to see what that would be, so I gave myself the space to say that I want to go back now and see what happens. That seems less scary to me than going, ‘four years, let’s go!’

With November Trials taking place in the smallest of boats, Campbell-Orde needed to get to grips with an old nemesis, a Single Scull.

“I’m rubbish in a single,” she said with a laugh. However, it’s a boat she’s spent time in before making the transition to the GB Rowing team in the previous Olympiad.

Campbell-Orde first discovered rowing at Loughborough University. Having originally gone there to play netball, she followed the classic tale of being picked out at a Sports Fair for being tall. After rowing recreationally, she spent time at Nottingham Rowing Club while still representing the African Violet at BUCS events.

It’s a fitting time to be taking a trip down memory lane. At last weekend’s racing, Loughborough University Boat Club won five gold medals across the Beginner categories and showcased the strength of the East Midlands Performance Development Academy.

After university, Campbell-Orde stayed in the region but had to turn to a Single Scull after struggling to find someone to trial with. Ultimately, this led to her coach prompting her to travel to Leander Club. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to 2025, and the return to the single was inevitable.

“Marlow Rowing Club were really good to me. My husband rows for the club, and I know a lot of people there, including Jamie Axon, the Head Coach.

“When I stopped rowing, I knew I needed to do something with my life, and they welcomed me in to come and coach. I worked with them, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. It was nice to be a part of the sport, but from a different angle for the rest of the season.

“I rowed with Leander at the start of that season, which was also great, but I decided to have a break. When I decided I wanted to come back, I live in Marlow, the club had been so good to me, and I felt that if I was to come back, it had to be different, and I had to mix things up. I could also walk there, which was super convenient! They’re a lovely club, and I knew I had to do a row a single, so it made sense to try this approach.”

With a win at Windermere under her belt, thoughts naturally turn to the rest of the 2026 season.

“When I first said I was going to come back, I just wanted to be in the team and hopefully go to the races. As the season has developed, my goalposts have moved. I would like to medal at the World Rowing Championships.

“I’ve actually never done that. We were fourth before the Olympics, so I’d love to get a medal in Amsterdam in whatever boat that could be and for the team to do really well.

“They had a great year last year. As the Olympiad progresses, it’s going to get tougher and tougher. It would be cool if we as a team could progress, and I want to be a part of that.”

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Great Britain wins the Women’s Windermere Cup /2026/05/great-britain-wins-the-womens-windermere-cup/ Sun, 03 May 2026 08:05:20 +0000 /?p=96423 In the 40th running of the Windermere Cup, the British women won the invitational event for a third time in Seattle

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Great Britain’s women struck gold in the Windermere Cup, beating the University of Washington and the Canadian National Team.

Following victory in Friday night’s Twilight Sprints, the British women backed up that performance and won the Windermere Cup for a third time. This adds to the victories of 1998 and 2022. No team, other than the University of Washington, has won the women’s event more times.

The combination. featured six from the Eight that won bronze in Shanghai: Jack Tottem, Megan Slabbert, Lauren Irwin, Amelia Standing, and Heidi Long.

They were joined by Olympic bronze medallist Annie Campbell-Orde, as well as Lizzie Witt and Jade Lindo in the bows, the first to cross the finish line in the iconic Montlake Cut.

“It’s been an amazing week out here in Seattle,” said Olympic bronze medallist Lauren Irwin.

“A huge thank you to the University of Washington for inviting us again. We’ve had the best time, and we hope to be back!”

Women’s Olympic Head Coach Andrew Randell added, “What a fantastic opportunity to be out here and execute some of our plan. We probably got three-quarters of it right today, and there’s plenty to work on for the future, but we always take a win when you can, so well done to the girls.”

The Men’s race was one of the closest in 40 years of Windermere Cup. Following an early lead for the Washington Huskies, the British men fought their way back into contention, setting the scene for an epic finale. After a photo finish, victory went to the home team by just 0.16s.

Credit: Scott Eklund/Redbox Pictures

Washington’s crew featured several British athletes, including cox Nikita Jacobs, who steered Great Britain’s Women’s Eight to victory at the 2025 U23 World Rowing Championships. He was joined by Cameron Tasker in the two-seat, part of last year’s Eight that won gold in Poznan, as well as  Sam Ford at five, part of the Molesey Boat Club boat that won the Thames Challenge Cup in 2022.

“We knew Washington was sharp, that they’d go off hard and be formidable opposition,” said High Performance Coach Steve Trapmore.

“We set off to try and contend with that, but they had a really good first 500m of the race, which we were able to counter, but we’d lost too much ground in the early stages. The guys did an incredible job to rally and pull the deficit back in the second half of the race to unfortunately miss the win by a photo finish of 0.16s.

“It’s frustrating, but we’ve learned a lot from the experience. The training has been really good, and it’s been well worth coming. A huge thank you to everyone for making this happen, and the British teams have worked very well together here. It’s felt very collaborative, and it’s great to be a part of the staff team here who have been operating together really well.

“It’s been a tough early-season race. However, that’s why we came here, to put ourselves under pressure and test ourselves to see where we are after a couple of weeks in this Eight. We’ve shown some really positive attributes, but also come away with some really clear points to work on ahead of racing at the World Rowing Cup I in Seville.”

Results

Women’s Windermere Cup
Great Britain (6:10.021)
University of Washington (6:13.543)
Canada (6:15.278)

Men’s Windermere Cup
University of Washington (5:29.082)
Great Britain (5:29.247)
Northeastern University (5:35.914)

The GB Rowing Team at the 40th Windermere Cup

Women’s Eight
Lizzie Witt (Leander Club / Imperial College BC)
Jade Lindo (Molesey BC / Twickenham RC)
Lauren Irwin (Leander Club / Durham University / Chester-le-Street ARC)
Katherine George (Leander Club)
Amelia Standing (Oxford University BC)
Megan Slabbert (Molesey BC)
Heidi Long (Oxford University BC / Leander Club)
Annie Campbell-Orde (Marlow RC/Leander Club)
Jack Tottem (cox) (Leander Club / Oxford University BC)
Coach: Andrew Randell

Reserves: Angharad Broughton and Eleanor Brinkhoff

Men’s Eight
Matt Aldridge (Christchurch RC/Oxford Brookes University BC)
Archie Drummond (Leander Club)
David Bewicke-Copley (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Fergus Woolnough (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Gabriel Obholzer (Cambridge University BC)
Sam Nunn (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Miles Beeson (Leander Club)
Harry Geffen (Oxford University BC)
Tom Bryce (cox) (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Steve Trapmore

Reserves: Matt Rowe and James Vogel

Support Staff
Jo Bates – Team Manager
Stephen Greenan – Physio

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Season starters and international debuts: Para Rowing Regatta 2026 /2026/05/season-starters-and-international-debuts-para-rowing-regatta-2026/ Sat, 02 May 2026 19:23:56 +0000 /?p=96415 Six medals won on return to Vaires-sur-Marne for the first time since the 2024 Paralympic Games

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The 91ÌÒÉ« Paralympic Programme picked up from where it left off after a strong set of results at the Para Rowing Regatta 2026.

The team, comprising of Paralympic Champions and those taking their first international strokes on the journey to LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032, brought home three golds, a silver, and two bronze medals.

European, World, and Paralympic Champion Benjamin Pritchard returned to the middle of the medal podium after a dominant second half of his A Final. Pritchard kicked off racing with an impressive 22-second win in his heat of the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls, ahead of Paris Paralympians Alexis Sanchez of France and Germany’s Marcus Klemp. In the final, Pritchard was joined by Jake Woods, who had placed second behind Italy’s Giacomo Perini. Welshman Pritchard pulled away from Sanchez, kicking on in the second half to an unassailable lead. However, Woods stepped on from his opening heat, pushing his bows ahead of Perini and growing in confidence with every stroke on his way to a bronze medal.

“It was a tough race, and the conditions certainly picked up from this morning, so some lessons to be learned, but it was a good race overall,” said Pritchard after his win on Paralympic waters.

“I was actually watching Jake’s race rather than concentrating on my own! I was watching his come through the field and take Giacomo, which was pretty special.”

Much like Pritchard, another Paris regatta heralded another gold medal for Frankie Allen. Teaming up with Cantabrigian Rowing Club’s Micah Mugge, they raced Italy’s Carolina Foresti and Ludovica Tramontin in the heat, and again in the final of the PR3 Women’s Pair. On both occasions, Allen and Mugge were imperious, gaining speed with every stroke, winning by 33 seconds and 52 seconds in each of their races.

“We first got in a boat two days ago, so to go out in these conditions, where there’s a huge crosswind, was really good, and I’m proud of us, and of this little project. Micah did so well,” said the Paralympic Champion.

“It was my first international race and the conditions were pretty windy out there, so we battled through, and there was lots of communication between us, and we won, so you can’t ask for much more than that with a first race,” added a delighted Mugge.

The third gold medal of the day came from Charlotte Taylor in the PR3 Women’s Single Sculls. Taylor was undefeated throughout the day after winning her morning heat by clear water, with Uzbekistan’s Belyanina Dinara in second place. Come the final, Taylor had work to do, trailing Dinara through halfway. However, the Oundle School Boat Club rower was unfazed as she rowed through the Uzbekistani, winning by a greater margin than the morning’s heat.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not the most glamorous thing I’ve ever done, it was a tricky race, but I’m so happy to finally do my first international race! The conditions were tough. The start was tricky just because there was such a large headwind, but it was such a good race,” explained Taylor after receiving her gold medal.

After winning the preliminary race of the PR3 Men’s Pair, Paralympic Champion Josh O’Brien and England’s Jonty Ridley lined up against the same trio of Italian Pairs. Come the final, Stanislau Litvinchuk and Marco Frank had an explosive start to the race, establishing a lead they held to the finish, with the British combination coming home comfortably in second place for a silver medal, the first of Ridley’s career.

“It was Jonty’s first race for Great Britain, so congratulations, it’s a big moment for him,” said O’Brien.

Rounding off the medal haul was Jacob Gunn in the PR3 Men’s Single Sculls. Second place in the heat behind Abduvaliyev Akbaralifrom Uzbekistan was a great way for Gunn to open his international account. In the A Final, the student from Liverpool John Moores University Boat Club found himself neck and neck with Italy’s Giorgio Melone at the 1000m mark. In the second half of the race, the Italian pulled away, with Gunn winning bronze on his international debut.

“I feel like I had a good crack at it. I was holding well with first and second before dropping off in the middle, but I’m still happy with third place, and I’m chuffed to get my first international medal,” said Gunn.

Alongside the medals, this trip was about gaining international classification for a number of the rowers who have emerged from 91ÌÒÉ«’s Paralympic Pathway.If you want to know more about classification and the Paralympic Pathway, contact Performance Talent Coach Rob Cree, or visit this page to sign up for testing.

rob.cree@britishrowing.org     07886 820 705

The GB Rowing Team at the Para Rowing Regatta

All crews are coached by Nicola Benavente, David Breen and Will Stockton

PR1 Men’s Single Sculls
Benjamin Pritchard (City of Swansea RC)
Jake Woods (Strathclyde Park RC)

PR3 Men’s Single Sculls
Jacob Gunn (Liverpool John Moores University BC)
Sam Lake (Agecroft RC)

PR3 Women’s Single Sculls 
Charlotte Taylor (Oundle School BC)

PR3 Men’s Pair
Jonty Ridley (Durham University BC/Hexham RC)
Josh O’Brien (Molesey BC)

PR3 Women’s Pair
Frankie Allen (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Micah Mugge (Cantabrigian RC)

Support Staff
Marie Grant
Tom Dyson
Rob Cree

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Back in Paris: GB Para Squad to race this weekend /2026/05/back-in-paris-gb-para-squad-to-race-this-weekend/ Fri, 01 May 2026 09:58:45 +0000 /?p=96380 The 91ÌÒÉ« Paralympic Programme has returned to Paris for the first time since bringing home four Paralympic medals from Paris in 2024

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The Para squad will make its 2026 international debut at this year’s Para Rowing Regatta, taking place on Saturday.

This year’s event will be hosted at Vaires-sur-Marne, where the GB Rowing Team won three golds and a silver medal across a memorable three days of racing at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

The Para Rowing Regatta provides valuable racing experience ahead of the 2026 World Rowing Cups and the European and World Rowing Championships. This weekend’s racing will also allow newly recruited athletes to be classified as part of the journey to LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.

Amongst the travelling squad are a number of Paralympic Champions, taking the first strokes on Paris waters since writing their names into the history books. European, World, and Paralympic Champion and record holder Benjamin Pritchard will race the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls, alongside Jake Woods, who made his international debut at the 2024 World Rowing Cup in Poznan, Poland.

Pritchard will meet familiar opposition as he races race Italy’s Giacomo Perini and France’s Alexis Sanchez, who raced alongside him in the A Final of the 2024 Paralympic Games.

The last time Frankie Allen and Josh O’Brien were in Paris, they won gold in the Mixed PR3 Coxed Four. GB have been undefeated in this boat class since 2010, and have brought home every Paralympic gold medal in this category since 2012. This time, Frankie and Josh will race in the PR3 Pairs. O’Brien teams up with Jonty Ridley, who raced for England at last year’s Home International Regatta, and Allen races alongside Cambridge University student Micah Mugge. The fifth-year medic at Lucy Cavendish College was recruited after attending a “Discover Your Paralympic Potential” Day in Sheffield.

Racing in the PR3 Men’s Single Sculls are Sam Lake and Jacob Gunn. Lake, a former RAF Engineer, learned to row at Agecroft Rowing Club after testing for the Paralympic Pathway. Whilst racing at BUCS Regatta for Liverpool John Moores University Boat Club, Gunn was picked up through the talented student recruitment stand and spent time developing in a Single Scull last summer.

Charlotte Taylor travels as the sole U18 athlete, set to compete in the PR3 Women’s Single Sculls. Last year, Taylor made history as part of the first ever para boat to take part in a Fours Head.

Leeds Rowing Club’s James King travels with the squad for classification. King won gold in the Open AR3 Single Sculls at last year’s 91ÌÒÉ« Club Championships, and joined the Paralympic Pathway having previously played rugby.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Paralympic Head Coach Nicola Benavente said, “This is the first chance for some to practice race plans ahead of the third World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, European Rowing Championships, and World Rowing Championships.

“Having the opportunity to race strong competition helps us develop race plans and race fitness. It also provides a great opportunity to assess where we are now and what needs to be done to achieve our goals later in the season.

‘Returning to Paris will be a little surreal. The last time we were there, history was made with an incredible group of athletes. This time, we return with a largely new group but with the same ambitions and energy.

“It may feel like a passing on of the baton for some, picking up where those before them created an incredible legacy. For those who raced at Paris 2024, I’m sure it will bring back incredible memories and a motivation to experience that again in LA 2028.”

Paralympic Pathway Coach Will Stockton said, “Paris allows us to classify newly recruited athletes in the Team. This is extremely important ahead of Paralympic qualification in 2027. It also allows us to try new combinations within the squad and allows the athletes to try new race plans ahead of racing later in the season.

“A number of the PR3 athletes who are classifying and racing this weekend were already rowing in clubs and universities and didn’t realise they could qualify for para sport. This is a wonderful example for clubs and universities to keep an eye out for athletes who might be eligible.

“If you have any athletes with reduced strength or range of movement across a joint, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!”

Want to know more about classification and the Paralympic Pathway? Contact Performance Talent Coach Rob Cree, or visit this page to sign up for testing.

rob.cree@britishrowing.org     07886 820 705

The GB Rowing Team to travel to the Para Rowing Regatta

All crews are coached by Nicola Benavente, David Breen and Will Stockton

PR1 Men’s Single Sculls
Benjamin Pritchard (City of Swansea RC)
Jake Woods (Strathclyde Park RC)

PR3 Men’s Single Sculls
Jacob Gunn (Liverpool John Moores University BC)
Sam Lake (Agecroft RC)

PR3 Women’s Single Sculls 
Charlotte Taylor (Oundle School BC)

PR3 Men’s Pair
Jonty Ridley (Durham University BC/Hexham RC)
Josh O’Brien (Molesey BC)

PR3 Women’s Pair
Frankie Allen (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Micah Mugge (Cantabrigian RC)

Support Staff
Marie Grant
Tom Dyson
Rob Cree

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