The Athletes’ Commission elections take place every two years, with athletes able to serve a maximum of two four-year terms. There are 12 members in the Commission, which is currently chaired by Beijing 2008 rowing gold medallist Helene Raynsford.

Benjamin said, “I’m very grateful to have been given the opportunity to ensure that the athletes’ voice is continually heard and at the forefront of decisions being made. To be voted on by my peers makes this even more special.”

In addition to this new role, Ben is an ambassador for the London Irish Foundation as part of the UK Sport and National Lottery ChangeMakers campaign, helping with their disability inclusion programme. He sits on the World Rowing athlete commission and is a board director at Welsh Rowing. He has also been a mentor on the True Athlete Project since 2023.

The other new members of the Commission, who will take up their positions in the New Year, are Paris 2024 gold medallist Jody Cundy (cycling); Tokyo 2020 wheelchair rugby champion Kylie Grimes, the first woman to win Paralympic gold in the sport; powerlifter Louise Sugden, who claimed bronze in Tokyo; and Joanna Butterfield, who transitioned to wheelchair curling in 2022 after a hugely successful Para athletics career which included club throw gold at Rio 2016. Three-time Paralympian and 2022 boccia world champion Claire Taggart was re-elected for a second term, and previously Charlotte Henshaw (canoe), Lora Fachie (cycling), Hannah Cockroft (athletics), Dave Ellis (triathlon) and Kelly Gallagher (Alpine skiing) are continuing on the Commission.

The post Benjamin Pritchard appointed to ParalympicsGB Athletes’ Commission appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

After a golden summer, four GB Rowing Team crews and two coaches have been selected as finalists for the World Rowing Awards 2024.

Following public nominations, the World Rowing Executive Committee selected finalists based on analysis from expert panels created for each award.

Men’s Crew of the Year

The Team GB Men’s eight had a glittering Olympiad, crowned European Champions in 2022, 2023 and 2024, World Champions in 2022 and 2023 and finally Olympic Champions at Paris 2024.

Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charles Elwes, Thomas Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and Harry Brightmore, coached by Steve Trapmore, poured everything they had into their final race of the season, but the result was never in doubt as they crossed the line ahead of the Netherlands and USA.

Women’s Crew of the Year

Our first gold medal of the 2024 Olympic Rowing Regatta went to the Women’s quadruple sculls of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgina Brayshaw – the first ever Olympic gold medal for Great Britain in this boat class. The nail-biting race ended in a photo finish, but a heroic sprint from the GB crew saw them finish 0.15 seconds ahead of the Dutch.

The crew, coached by Head Olympic Coach (Women’s Squad) Andrew Randell,  were defending 2023 World Champions and 2024 European Champions.

Para Crew of the Year

Paris 2024 was Great Britain’s most successful Paralympic Games to date – it’s therefore not surprising that we have not one, but two crews nominated in this category!

Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson were unbeaten from their first international race togetherin the PR2 Mixed double sculls, and were World Champions in 2023 and European Champions in 2023 and 2024. They set a World and Paralympic Best Time in the Paris 2024 heats, and their gold medal was Lauren Rowles’ third Paralympic gold.

Benjamin Pritchard’s phenomenal regatta in the PR1 Men’s single sculls started with a Paralympic Best Time in the heats and ended with him being crowned Paralympic Champion. The Welsh rower finished 11.37 seconds ahead of Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi in silver.

Coach of the Year

Paralympic Head Coach Nick Baker led a team of coaches, support staff and athletes to GB’s most successful Paralympic Games this year.

The British national anthem played out an incredible three times across the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on the final day of the regatta, as all four of the ParalympicsGB boats took home a medal.

Darren Whiter’s work with the Lightweight Women’s double sculls saw them win gold to become the last ever Olympic Champions in that boat class. An unbeaten combination after Tokyo 2020, the crew went from strength to strength to finally execute a race that was perhaps as close to perfection as you can get in rowing in their final.

Louise Kingsley, Director of Performance at 91ÌÒÉ« said: “To have so many crews and coaches announced as finalists is a reflection of the breadth and depth of our current GB Rowing Team programme. It is rewarding to see our efforts recognised by our International Federation and for our GBR crews and coaches to sit alongside such a high quality field.”

Other Award categories

On 31 October, World Rowing also announced that the two finallists in the Rowing Programme of the Year award were both British – Oxford Brookes University BC and Fulham Reach BC. 1992 Olympian is a finallist for the Artistic Contribution of the Year Award.

The 2024 World Rowing Awards will be held during a Gala Dinner on Sunday, 9 November 2024 at 20:00 CET in Seville, Spain.

Photos: Benedict Tuffnell and Steve McArthur.

The post Four Great Britain crews and two coaches announced as finalists at 2024 World Rowing Awards appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

The British national anthem played out three times across the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on the final day of the Paralympic Rowing Regatta, as all four of the ParalympicsGB boats took home a medal.

Lauren Rowles became the first rower from any country to win three Paralympic gold medals as she and her PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x) partner, Paralympic debutant and former Royal Engineer Commando, Gregg Stevenson won in fine style pulling ahead of the Chinese in the final 500m of the race to take their place at the top of the podium, maintaining their unbeaten streak during the Paris cycle.

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

Lauren said: “Out of my three Paralympic gold medals, this is definitely the best one yet! To do it for the third time in a row – history was made today. To have a bit of the Eiffel Tower in these medals and to do it with Gregg has been incredible – he’s been the best part about it.

“In our event, people go out there hard. It’s the Paralympic finals so you show up or you show out and today China showed up. They’ve been chasing us for years now and I knew today they would give it some. We wanted to push them to the absolute limit and today we knew we had that speed and surge coming into the finish line.

“We’ve never seen the audience so packed out in rowing before, and I think that really shows how Paralympic sport is going. Gregg’s got two young boys and I’ve got my son Noah who is five months old now, and it’s about a lot more than medals now, it’s about being role models to the boys. Our families and partners are our absolute rocks, Jude has been alone single parenting for five weeks now whilst I’ve been in a boat with Gregg. Our families allow us to achieve this, so it goes without saying that these medals today are for our families and for our boys.”

Greg said:  “Having Lauren and our coach Nick Baker around is all the experience I needed to race that race. For the last few months we’ve said we’ve got to race until the last stroke and that our competition will bring something you don’t expect. I was really impressed with China, what a row for them! They took us right to the end and as soon as I felt we had the momentum I had this little grimace and a smile, like ‘we’re going!’. This is epic. To turn up, work hard, be a role model for my kids and hang out with Lauren who works hard and just achieves is the cherry on top.”

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

The PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x) saw GB’s Benjamin Pritchard win an incredible gold medal, finishing 11.37 seconds ahead of Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi in silver. Benjamin’s phenomenal regatta started with a Paralympic Best Time in the heats and ended as Paralympic Champion.

Ben said: “It’s been all about today and the process. It came off and now I have a gold medal. We are athletes as well as disabled people. We have to do the hard work that athletes do on top of living our disabilities in day to day life. There may be kids with spinal injuries who want to be doctors, producers, artists, whatever it may be – they should be encouraged to do whatever they want to do. The more visibility we have in front of and behind the scenes the better.”

“I had to stay in my lane to do what I did. People have tried different things to win over the past few years – people are rapid off the start in this boat class. But you have to be realistic – it’s a 2,000m race. I stayed in my lane and didn’t know how far ahead I was, but as long as Roman was in my sight – I knew he was what I had to worry about. I’ve beaten him twice here on this lake, so I knew I could do it. Our whole field has moved on 24 seconds in the past three years, any one of the 5 athletes who have raced 2K in under 9 minutes could have gotten gold today. It’s the closest the PR1 Men’s single sculls field has ever been, we haven’t won a gold medal in the PR1 Men’s single sculls field since 2011, so this feels really special.”

The PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+), Great Britain’s most successful boat, is now unbeaten for 14 years after Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Josh O’Brien, Ed Fuller and cox Erin Kennedy added to a thriving legacy in the final race of the Paralympic Rowing Regatta.

Giedre said: “It’s been fourteen years of winning for this boat, but I think every single year has been pushing us on. We’ve been taking trust from the teammates before us, there has always been an overlap of at least one or two athletes from previous Games so we draw what we can from them and keep pushing on and try to make them proud.

Credit: Benedict Tufnell / 91ÌÒÉ«

“Eighteen years ago today I was in a car accident that led me to becoming a Paralympic athlete. It’s an anniversary that I’m going to celebrate now with a gold medal. Every year this is going to be a golden moment. The Paralympic Games is like a second chance. I always wanted to be an athlete when I was a child, and I thought that chance was taken from me and finding out in my 20s that I can still pursue my dream as a Paralympian was something that I latched on to and clearly didn’t give up.”

Erin paid credit to the crew and the reserves in the squad: “This project has had so many people involved – someone we really want to give a shout out to is Morgan Fice-Noyes, he has been with us in training and the the sixth member of this crew this year.”

Keeping it short and sweet, Josh said: “I took my first stroke in the same season I won gold, so it’s pretty surreal.”

Making their ParalympicsGB debut in the PR3 Mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix 2x) were Sam Murray and Annie Caddick, who also made history as the first crew to win silver in this new boat class.

Sam: “It’s surreal at this moment, we’re trying to take stock of it all but we’re proud of our performance. I didn’t think this was even on my horizon. I left rowing and I was content with where I’d got to – and then it was at the start of the 2023 season when I met Annie, spoke to our Head Coach Nick Baker and realised we could make a crack of this, and now we have a silver medal!”

Annie added: “It was such a tight race with everyone right there – the adrenaline rush the whole time was going. We didn’t settle, we had to keep pushing. At the end Sam said “we’ve got to go!” and I felt him surge, I had to hold on and go with him. We’ve built trust and a bond, so no matter how bad you’re feeling – if one of us goes, we both go. Having this medal means a lot. It’s been a long journey to get here, I’m so proud of us.”

Paralympic hub page

The post Best ever Games for ParalympicsGB Rowing at Paris 2024 appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

Two-time Paralympic champion Lauren Rowles and her PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x) partner, former Royal Engineer Commando, Gregg Stevenson, flew down the track in a World and Paralympic record breaking time of 7:56.92 to beat their previous World Best Time, set in 2023. The result means they qualify directly to Sunday’s A final.

Speaking after the race, Lauren said: “It feels phenomenal. We’ve been promising the fans, and importantly our partners, that we were going to come out and do a World Best Time. We’ve been saying sub-8 minutes for a really long time so it’s nice to deliver what we’ve been trying to do for the last couple of years together so this felt really good. Personally, I’ve been working myself to try and do sub-8 minutes and push this field out to where it’s never been before and today we’ve done that.”

Gregg, thrilled with the result and making his Paralympic debut aged 39, said: “I’m finally a Paralympian, I’ve done it! It feels unbelievable, especially having this crowd here and my wife and two boys. The past few days have been phenomenal. I’m really enjoying it.”

The PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+), Great Britain’s most successful boat, continued its impressive 13 year winning streak also clocking up a World and Paralympic Best Time of 6:43.68. The crew Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Josh O’Brien and Ed Fuller and cox, Erin Kennedy, were the fastest across both heats, and are also directly through to the A Final on Sunday.

Commenting on the World Best Time, and making his Paralympic Games debut, Ed said: “You can’t ask for more than that. We knew with our training leading into today that we had quick conditions. Everything came together for us out there and we performed well in that race. Overall it was a solid performance and we now have three more Paralympians in the crew so very happy to be able to call ourselves that.”

On her Paralympic Games experience, Giedre said: “It’s nice to be surrounded by all the athletes in our Para GB building in the village. We’re proud to represent GB and everyone is incredibly supportive, we just want to add to that greatness. The bar is high across all the sports and we want to match it!”

The PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x) saw GB’s Benjamin Pritchard achieve a Paralympic Best Time of 8:51.26 and take the one direct place in Sunday’s final. After the race, he said: “I’m really happy. It’s always good to cross the line first but most importantly the times I’ve seen in training are coming to fruition during racing. It’s good to not worry about who is around you, focus on what you’re doing, and trust your body because you know what you’ve been doing in the winter and you know what will work.

“I set a Paralympic Best Time in the repechage in Tokyo and now I’ve done it here, but the goal is a World Record. Nick (Nick Baker, Coach) will tell me off for stopping before the line, but sometimes you need to save a little bit of energy and savour the moment. That’s why I stopped – I knew I had the win, the roar from the crowd was incredible. There was lighting – seeing the lightning strike, it was just a picture. I sat there like ‘this is cool’. I wanted to savour the moment because you don’t get those much in racing. Today felt like the biggest crowd we’ve ever had at a World Rowing regatta and it’s not even sold out – Sunday is sold out, so it’s just going to get better and better. We’ll hope for the same result on Sunday, and if not I know that I’ve put myself in the fight of trying to get a medal and race against the world’s best, which is what you want to do.”

Making their Paralympics GB debut in the PR3 Mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix 2x) were Sam Murray and Annie Caddick who missed out on the automatic qualification spot by just under a second, and will now race again in Saturday’s repechage. Sam said: “It feels good to get our first run down and get the experience of racing here – it’s the start of our weekend.”

Annie added: “We know we’re in the mix, that’s what that race taught us. We know we have to be a bit stronger off the start, but now we can learn from this and hopefully deliver tomorrow  in the repechage.”

Paralympic hub page

The post Records fall for ParalympicsGB on Para Rowing heats day at Paris 2024 appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

Of the five women and five men, six will make their Paralympic debuts while four are returning Paralympians – including two-time Paralympic champion Lauren Rowles and Tokyo 2020 gold medallists, Giedre Rakauskaite and Erin Kennedy.

“The past achievements of ParalympicsGB’s rowing squads speak for themselves – as a group their hard work, dedication and innate talent consistently pays off, and this squad of 10 athletes – who have already made an indelible mark on the World and European stage – is no different. I’m delighted to welcome all 10 athletes to the ParalympicsGB team for Paris 2024 and can’t wait to see them in action in Paris this summer,” commented ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission, Penny Briscoe.

Commenting on the team selection, 91ÌÒÉ« Head of Olympic and Paralympic Performance Delivery, Tom Dyson, who will be Rowing Team Leader in Paris, said: “Rowing is consistently a top performing sport for ParalympicsGB and we’ll be looking to reinforce that in Paris. While our selected athletes are a blend of returning Tokyo 2020 Paralympians and those for whom Paris will be their first Games, every one of them has a Paralympic, World, European or World Cup gold medal to their credit. When you combine those rowers with a world-class group of coaches and support staff, we are all excited to show the world what the team has trained to deliver in Paris!”

PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix2x)

Two-time Paralympic champion Lauren Rowles is joined by former Royal Engineer Commando, Gregg Stevenson, who is making his Paralympic debut at the age of 39. ParalympicsGB were gold medallists in this class at both Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016.

Lauren and Gregg qualified their boat for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in a World Best Time (WBT) of 08:00.57 – the third WBT of their debut season. They remain unbeaten going into these Games.

Lauren said: “It’s my third Games but it feels more exciting than my first. For your first Games there’s so much excitement but you don’t know what you’re getting yourself in for whereas now I know what to expect. It’s going to be so great to experience the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and have friends and family in the stands cheering us on. Our lives have been changed through rowing and we want to show the fans what that means to us!”

Gregg added: “This feels like a long time coming. I had the ambition during the Invictus Games days, around 2018, but never thought I would achieve it, so it’s been quite a journey! I’m so proud of the work that we’ve done to get to this point. The whole Stevenson family, including my wife and boys, will be there in Paris to cheer us on!”

PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+)

Great Britain’s most successful boat will aim to maintain its impressive 13 year – including three Paralympic Games – winning streak in Paris. The new-look crew sees Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Giedre Rakauskaite and cox Erin Kennedy joined by Paralympic debutants Frankie Allen, Ed Fuller and Josh O’Brien.

Josh made his GB Rowing team debut, winning gold, at the 2024 European Championships. Speaking about his selection, he said: “The last few months have been a total whirlwind with trials and racing and now I’m selected for the Paralympics, it’s so exciting! I only started rowing two years ago at Birmingham University, so it’s all happened very quickly. Thanks so much to all the coaches who taught me to row at Birmingham and the coaches and my teammates at our national training centre in Caversham who have taught me so much in a short space of time. I’ve wanted to become a Paralympian for a while and I don’t think it’s sunk in yet
 it’s so massive!”

Frankie added: “This is a dream come true. We have done so much hard work to get to this point and I want to make the most of all the experiences from now until the Games. The pressure of the unbeaten legacy in this boat is a privilege that I’m hugely proud to be a part of.”

PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x)

Benjamin Pritchard came fifth at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Since then, he has developed into a consistent medallist, winning two World Championship bronze medals across 2022 and 2023. Last month, at the final race before Paris 2024, Benjamin won his first career gold medal at the World Rowing Cup in Poznan, Poland. The PR1 men’s single is a hotly contested, highly competitive boat class, where Benjamin will be looking to improve on his Tokyo performance.

Benjamin said: “I feel more prepared for Paris than I was for Tokyo, particularly as I’ve had the full cycle to build more race experience and more speed. Obviously this is the closest thing to a home Games and it will be great to have so much support from friends and family out there. I want it to be a big party and celebration of the hard work that we’ve put in over the past eight years.”

PR3 Mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix2x)

Rowing for ParalympicsGB in this new boat class at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be Sam Murray and Annie Caddick. For Sam, this new event will see him fulfil a Paralympic aspiration that started at a talent identification event back in 2007 where he was first noted as a potential rower. Sam and Annie have rowed together since 2023 and were recently crowned European champions. They are excited to be making their Paralympic debuts in this inaugural event of the PR3 Mixed double sculls.

Sam said: “We’ve put so much work in and for me personally it’s been a long journey of being in and out of the squad for a number of years, so now to be selected for Paris, it’s very exciting. Part of the lure of coming back was to race in this new event and being so close to home is a bonus as so many people are coming out to support us.”

Annie said: “Each day it gets a bit closer and I get a little more excited and a little more nervous. Sam and I have built a great partnership and we are looking forward to being the first to represent Great Britain in this boat class. The competition is fierce and the standard is very close, so I think we’ll see some exciting racing!”

Paralympic Regatta Results and more

The ParalympicsGB crews racing at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are:

PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+)

Frankie Allen (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Josh O’Brien (Molesey BC)
Giedre Rakauskaite (Worcester RC)
Ed Fuller (Reading University BC/Nautilus RC)
Erin Kennedy (cox) (Leander Club)
Coach: Nicola Benavente 

PR3 Mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix2x)

Sam Murray (Molesey BC)
Annie Caddick (Molesey BC)
Coach: Nicola Benavente

PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix2x)

Lauren Rowles (Birmingham RC)
Gregg Stevenson (Agecroft RC)
Coach: Nick Baker 

PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x)

Benjamin Pritchard (City of Swansea RC)
Coach: Nick Baker

Paralympic Games rowing coaching staff, Team Management and Support staff

Tom Dyson: Team Leader
Nick Baker: Head Coach – Para Rowing
Nicola Benavente: High Performance Coach – Para Rowing
Will Stockton: Coaching Assistant
Pat Dunleavy: Physiotherapist
Maurice Hayes: Resources Manager
Louise Kingsley: Director of Performance and Deputy Team Leader
Shelley Wyatt: Communications and Media

The post ParalympicsGB selects rowing squad for Paris 2024 appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

It was an impressive first international gold medal for Benjamin Pritchard in the PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x). He got out to a flying start and held the lead throughout to take the win more than six seconds ahead of Italy and Australia. “I’m elated! It hasn’t sunk in yet but it feels very special
  and on Father’s Day too! There’s a bit of extra motivation with my wife and daughter at home, so this feels very cool.” Benjamin said, speaking after the race, “I was trying to stick to my race plan and not get too distracted about those around me. Compared to the preliminary race, where I got sucked into who I was racing, today was so much better. This race has given me some learnings that hopefully I can work on before the Paralympic Games.”

World and two-time European champions Gregg Stevenson and Lauren Rowles maintained their unbeaten run in the PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x), crossing the finish line over six seconds ahead of Germany. “We always go out to win,” Lauren said, “we won’t settle for anything less at this stage of our careers and after the winning streak that we’re having. Today we wanted to go out, work as hard as we could, get that marker down before Paris and see what work we have left to do. It’s nice to be out here as I’ve never won in Poland before, so I had some wrongs to put right! Today I wanted to go out there and leave Poznan with a gold medal.” Gregg added: “We’re expected to win now so there has been different pressure for me this season, but I enjoy that pressure. We’ve been on an intensive training block where we’ve worked really hard. When Lauren is the boss you’ve got to work hard! We enjoy racing with and for each other so it’s a really good combination.”

Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Morgan Fice-Noyes, Ed Fuller and cox Erin Kennedy also continued their unbeaten run in the PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+). Erin said: “We’re trying stuff out at this competition, it was a real opportunity to learn. This is the last exposure to multi-lane racing before every crew goes behind closed doors and tries to find more speed before the summer, so this was the last chance to test things out and it was really fun.”

Ed added: “There were a lot of unknowns coming into this race. There were a lot of racing crews that we haven’t faced this year, so it was nice to know where we stand. Now everyone’s going to go away for a few months before the big one in September.”

It was silver for European Champions Sam Murray and Annie Caddick in the PR3 Mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix 2x). Finishing just over a length back from the Australian World champions, Annie said: “There’s quite a lot of emotions, so we’ll see when they sink in! I’m happy we’re in the mix. We’re two months out from the Games so I think we’re in a strong position. We worked well as a team today, our communication was good. We knew the field was going to go out hard so as long as we stuck with them we would have a chance.

Sam agreed, “We know how much we’ve moved on and the progress we’ve made throughout the winter, but you never know how much other people have moved on. We were really keen to come here and see where we are in the mix. We were alongside the Australians for a large portion of the race which we weren’t last season, so I’m pleased with that, and this result is really motivating as we come into the final months before the Games.”

The Men’s four (M4-) GBR1 crew confidently kept up with the pack to take home an outstanding senior medal that sealed the World Rowing Cup for this boat class. Dan Graham, Douwe de Graaf, Sam Bannister and Matt Rowe won bronze and collected the overall World Rowing Cup trophy for the event. Sam said: “To perform out here next to crews who are going to the Olympics when we’re the development crew for our nation is amazing.” Matt added: “We learnt a lot about international racing today. We like to think that we’re up and coming and we hope this won’t be the last time that we’re somewhere like this!”. Dan said: “We were level with the Swiss in the last 500m, but we were able to out-sprint them at the end and push up on the Australian Olympic champions which was really cool, it was epic.”

Tom Dyson, Team Leader for Great Britain at the World Rowing Cup had earlier collected the World Rowing Cup trophies for the Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) and Men’s eight (M8+). Commenting on the team performance, he said: “We had some superb results from our Paralympic squad, a highlight of which was seeing Benjamin Pritchard win his first ever gold medal. They will soon be heading to camp to focus on their final preparations for Paris.

“In addition, it’s so encouraging to see this strong group of development athletes come out here and attack their opportunity to race at this World Cup, supported by a top quality team of coaching & support staff. With the men’s four making the podium and so many of them reaching the final, the pathway for the LA Games is looking promising.”

The Men’s double sculls (M2x) was a tight race with the GBR1 crew of Stephen Hughes and Cedol Dafydd missing the podium by less than a second to finish in fourth place ahead of the French Olympic champions.

The Women’s four (W4-) of Juliette Perry, Amelia Standing, Eleanor Brinkhoff and Martha Birtles finished in fifth place, accruing enough points to ensure they collected the World Rowing Cup trophy for that boat class.

The GBR2 Men’s pair (M2-) of Jake Wincomb and Louis Nares; the GBR2 Men’s four of James Vogel, Miles Beeson, Tom Ballinger and Jack Prior; George Bourne in the Men’s single sculls (M1x) and Scotland’s Jake Woods racing as GBR2 in the PR1 men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x) all finished fifth.

The GBR1 Women’s double sculls (W2x) crew of Jenny Bates and Freya Keto were sixth. The Men’s double sculls (M2x) GBR2 crew of Rory Harris and Tobias Schroder were second in the B final, placing eighth overall.

The post Five medals for Great Britain on final day at World Rowing Cup III appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

Medals were won across the men’s, women’s and para rowing squads with the Women’s four, Women’s quad, Men’s eight and PR3 Mixed double all winning gold.

It was a win for the Women’s four (W4-) of Helen Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten after a tussle with the Romanians saw the GB crew take and keep the lead from the halfway mark. A buoyant Esme said: “It’s great to be a European Champion. I was just saying I don’t have any sort of championship title yet and now I do! I’m so happy!”

Double Olympic Champion, Helen Glover, winning her first championship title since 2021 added: “It’s what we were after and it’s probably the most composed I’ve felt in any race and that’s saying something. I’ve got a lot of confidence in our crew, I have a sense that we’re still in a learning process. Even mid-race I’m thinking – this is good, we’re learning! With such a new crew, all the races we do this season are significant moments… Varese was important in putting a line in the sand, today’s been a significant moment referencing last year’s Europeans, when Romania went through us in the last 500m, moving onto the next race will be a big learning moment of more nations coming in and people stepping on into the competition. I’m excited we are so new, with so much still to learn.”

Registering their first win as a crew were newly crowned European Champions, Sam Murray and Annie Caddick in the PR3 Mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix 2x). Annie said: “It’s very exciting. There were bits that caught us off guard but we dealt with them well. We thought we’d be in the medals, we didn’t know what colour it would be so it’s an exciting day for us. It’s our first ever win as a crew. To be a European Champion is mad, it hasn’t sunk in yet.” Sam said: “We weren’t sure how we would do but we just trusted our training through the winter and full credit to Annie for putting down a really strong rhythm for us. We’re happy with how we executed it. We know we need to keep improving as we move through the summer but it’s good to start with a win here. We know there’s more there and it’s how we can keep locking it together.”

The Men’s eight (M8+) was a thrilling, high tempo race with the GB crew of Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charlie Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and cox Harry Brightmore holding off pressure from the German boat to take the gold. Jacob said: “We knew it was going to be a tough race. The Germans are hungry to right their wrongs from the last few years and it was very clear Romania wanted to make a big push for this Championships, so for us it was all about keeping to our plan and not getting flustered by what anyone else threw at us. It’s never going to be enough until we take the last stroke of the most important race this summer and we are always striving for more
 to go quicker.”

James Rudkin added: “We know that people are going to try to challenge us and put on some pressure, which the Germans tried to do. I think we rose to that pressure well and I was happy with how we held them off and pushed on towards the end – so it was a good race. We’re prepared that crews are going to come out for us this season, and we’re ready for that fight and want to take it on and push ourselves to be the best version that we can be. We’re in it to win. We’ve got Harry (cox) there talking us through the race and you feel like you’re one engine, one machine, driving it along. Everyone is doing their own bit to make the boat go as fast as possible and you could really feel that when he called us to push on. It wasn’t one person trying to smack at it more, it was all nine of us giving it everything we’ve got, so we’re happy with that and that’s the strength we’ll need to race fast crews across the season.”

Back to winning ways were Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw in the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x), who topped the podium after a tight race ahead of Ukraine. Hannah said: “We had some teething problems at the start of the season, but we were learning from that and today was a display of the work we’ve put in for the last week and a half since missing out in Varese. I think we’ve always been on this track but that showed the work we put in through the winter and we are almost happier to see that than to see the result. Today was a row we can be familiar and happy with and I’m proud that we delivered under that pressure. It’s another learning for us.” Lauren added: “It makes me really pleased that we’ve taken the disappointment of Varese and turned it around here. It’s nice to be back on top again, on a podium with a gold.”

Benjamin Pritchard won another European bronze medal in the PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x), he said: “It’s another bronze medal but I’m working in the right direction in terms of profile, race technique and race craft – learning how to build through a weekend. It’s taken me since 2019 but we’re getting there slowly. I posted a PB in the heats, that shows all the hard work is paying off. It’s good to start faster than I finished last season.”

Narrowly missing out on the podium with fourth place finishes were Olivia Bates and Imogen Grant in Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) and the Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) of Callum Dixon, Tom Barras, Matt Haywood and Graeme Thomas.

George Bourne is into the Men’s single sculls (M1x) final after a thrilling finish in the semi final saw him cross the line in third place. “My finish is something I’ve worked on since World Cup I, it’s not something you always want to test in a race, but it’s a big learning block.” He said, adding, “These opportunities are coming in thick and fast and I’m learning a lot of things. It wasn’t ideally how you’d want to pace a race, but these other guys did a good job in those conditions and I’ll try to learn from them going forward. I knew I had to give everything I had going into the line or I was going to fall short of the A Final. I’m proud to be in it. It’s another step on the way to try and qualify at the final qualification regatta but I’ve got a lot of things to work on. I’ll see what I can bring out of the hat tomorrow.”

Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George won their Men’s pair (M2-) semi-final, rowing through Romania at the halfway point and maintaining their lead to finish almost three seconds ahead.

Seb Devereux and John Collins were fifth in the Men’s double sculls (M2x) semi-final and will race again in the B final.

Tomorrow will see seven more crews bid to make the podium here in Hungary. You can follow the action across 91ÌÒÉ« social media channels and the World Rowing website. Racing will also be shown on BBC iPlayer and the BBC website.

Full results and crew lists

The post Great Britain sit top of the medal table after first day of finals at the European Rowing Championships appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

Paralympic Athlete of the Year

Benjamin was troubled with injury for much of the 2023, but support from his coach, physio, team doctor and S&C coach resulted in a particularly quick recovery. In the space of 12 weeks prior to racing at the qualification regatta in Belgrade he completed the programme with a focus and professionalism that was unequalled resulting in a very impressive World Championship bronze medal in the ultra-competitive PR1 men’s singles event. Amidst this challenging time he also welcomed his daughter Efa into the world and took to juggling training and fatherhood like a duck to water!

Olympic male and female Athletes of the Year

Jacob Dawson, a returning Olympic medallist from Tokyo, battled through significant health issues to win gold in the Men’s eight at the World Championships in Belgrade in 2023.

His presence on and off the water is of great benefit to the team as is shown by his passion for representing Great Britain on the world stage and his joy of being part of the closely knit men’s team. His positivity and personal drive are key values amongst a team of high-achieving athletes who have recorded unparalleled success in the past two seasons and he is a true role model for younger athletes thanks to his strong work ethic and high levels of motivation.

Georgie Brayshaw, is a true team player who commits totally to any task she is given. Her ‘no fuss’ approach to training and racing has been an inspiration to her teammates and she is well respected amongst her peers. She also has a bubbly personality that provides energy to the group. Her determination and rapid rise from squad member to Women’s quad World Champion has been exciting to watch. She demonstrates an obvious enjoyment of our sport which is infectious to those around her.

The post 2023 Season Awards presented to GB Rowing Team senior athletes appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

Highlights from the final day included a win and qualification in the Men’s eight (M8+), Emily Ford and Esme Booth making history as the first British women to qualify two boats at the same regatta and Benjamin Pritchard returning to the podium in the PR1 Men’s single sculls.

Summarising the regatta, Louise Kingsley, GB Rowing Director of Performance, said: “It’s been a fabulous week. This last weekend particularly has just been stunning. My highlight was the Women’s quad, they were sensational, but there have been many brilliant performances. The first important step this week was to gain qualification spots. We have nine boats securely through to the Olympics and four boats going to the Paralympics next year. The next step is to allow some time to enjoy the medals and then go back and do lots of analysis and then get our heads down for the big one next year.”

The World gold in the Men’s eight (M8+) was once again won by Great Britain. Jacob Dawson, Morgan Bolding, Rory Gibbs, Sholto Carnegie, Charlie Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and cox Harry Brightmore secured their Olympic place in fine style before jumping into the River Sava to celebrate. Sholto said: “Olympic qualification is always going to be a little bit spicy. We just really believed in what Harry was saying and responded exactly to his calls, and stuck together as a unit. It’s been a tough season but we’ve kept together, kept pushing forwards and kept learning all the time.”

Rory added: “In a race like that, with that sort of competition, not only do you have to deliver your best race physically you have to execute it as best you can technically, which is a tall order. But we’ve done that, I think it’s a credit to the whole crew, to our friends and family. Everyone is a part of it. The job isn’t quite done, we’ve got next summer and the Paris Olympics, but for now we’ll take that win, celebrate tonight and build towards next season.”

It was a second consecutive World bronze medal for Benjamin Pritchard in the PR1 men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x). Speaking to the media after the race, Benjamin said: “I think it’s a missed opportunity this year to move up the field, but given that I’ve only had twelve weeks training this season it’s a worthwhile effort and we can build on it for next year. I’m happy, I’m just a bit gutted at the same time. But that’s the life of an athlete, you’re never quite happy with your performance. I did the plan, I executed it and I didn’t have anything left – that’s all you can ask for at the end of the day. Meg and the baby have been cheering me on back at home and in 24hrs I’ll be there and in dad mode which I can’t wait for.”

Narrowly missing out on the podium but securing an all-important Olympic qualification spot were the Women’s eight (W8+) of Natasha Morrice, Rebecca Edwards, Lauren Irwin, Karen Bennett, Esme Booth, Emily Ford, Hattie Taylor, Annie Campbell-Orde and cox Henry Fieldman. Speaking after the fourth place finish Annie said: “I’m feeling mixed emotions. I’m very pleased to have qualified as it’s something we’ve been working towards throughout the season. But, obviously, fourth is probably the worst place to finish, so I’m also sad. I think it’s a product of the field this year, racing against the best. But this is such a new project for us, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and ultimately I’m looking forward to next year because we’ve made it possible for there to be a next year!“

Commenting on Emily and Esme’s historic feat in qualifying the women’s pair and the women’s eight, she added: “Two members of our crew qualified two boats, which was a new challenge that no one else has done, so I’m proud of what they have achieved. I’m so impressed with them. All of us watching were so proud of them. It’s so hard to do it twice and they’ve done it. Next year we’ll be so grateful for that because it gives us more seats. Bring on Paris 2024.”

Kyra Edwards and Saskia Budgett fought hard to win the Women’s double sculls (W2x) C final (13th overall) with another great sprint finish which held off a surge from Germany. Lucy Glover continued to build her experience in the Women’s single sculls (W1x) crossing the line fourth in the D final, placing her 22nd overall.

Results from Final Day (Day 8) at 2023 World Rowing Championships

Photos: Benedict Tufnell

The post GB wins nine medals at World Rowing Championships and qualifies 13 boats for Paris 2024 appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.

As the International Rowing scene was fixed on the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland, GB Rowing’s Para team headed to France to compete at the second annual Para-Rowing Regatta to Paris.

The event took place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, which will hold the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Rowing events. It was an opportunity for many of the squad to familiarise ourselves with the venue and surroundings, as well as an opportunity for some to return to international racing. The venue itself is slowly transforming with construction underway ahead of next year’s games. This gave us a sense of anticipation from what’s to come; and certainly, added some adrenaline when racing, knowing that this could be where we’re competing for Paralympic medals next year. The weather conditions over the weekend were variable, including humid heat over 34 degrees and thunderstorms on the Sunday.

Ellen Buttrick and Charlotte Coburn

The squad of six included Benjamin Pritchard returning in the PR1 M1x in his first race since winning the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. Ellen Buttrick also returned to international racing in the PR3 Women’s Pair (PR3 W2-) for the first time since winning gold the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games. She was joined by international debutant Charlotte Coburn of Molesey BC, the duo having raced at Henley Women’s Regatta back in June.

Saturday’s line up gave the opportunity for a number of crews to compete in smaller boats, Gregg Stevenson lined up in the PR2 M1x following his dominating performances at the European Championships and World Cup II with Lauren Rowles. Lauren competed in the PR2 W1x and demonstrated her class and tenacity as double Paralympic Champion, winning in style and holding off crews from other divisions.

Charlotte and Ellen were up against a number of crews including a German Men’s pair and USA Mixed double, providing the opportunity to build momentum and experience as a crew as well as demonstrate their potential ahead of this year’s World Championships in Serbia.

As for me, I lined up in the PR3 men’s single sculls (PR3 M1x) against my French rival Antoine Jesel, bronze medallist at Tokyo 2020. It was a tight contest with Jesel winning the heat by 1Âœ lengths. The final was a hard-fought race in which I passed Jesel through the 1,250m mark and managed to hold on to a length lead to win the race. This was such a great racing opportunity before I return to the PR3 Mixed Double for the World Championships later this year.

Sunday’s racing gave the opportunity for Gregg Stevenson and Lauren Rowles to continue their dominance in the PR2 Mix2x winning their heat and final race and providing the platform to build upon over the remaining season.

Benjamin Pritchard also lined up in the PR1 M1x against a competitive field. Benjamin, making his season debut after being away from the team for a few months, delivered some well controlled performances winning two bronze medals across the weekend, that will set him up well for returning to full training after the regatta.

As we closed on a solid’s weekend of racing and individual performances, we left Paris hoping the next time we return will be for next year’s Paralympic games.

If we earn slots at the games I can’t wait to see the transformation of the venue in Paralympic year into a world stage for the top Paralympic rowers to race on. We now return to our training base in Caversham with more experience and a fire in the belly to keep pushing for improvements over the coming months.

The post Para-team triumph at 2024 Olympic and Paralympic venue appeared first on 91ÌÒÉ«.