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Great Britain hungry for success at European Rowing Championships

60 athletes have been selected to represent Great Britain at the European Rowing Championships in Szeged, Hungary from 25-28 April 2024

Commenting on the team selection Louise Kingsley, British Rowing Director of Performance said: “This is a quick turnaround after our Olympic class athletes made a promising start to the season at World Rowing Cup I in Varese, but with more race experience we can implement learnings and continue to build as we progress towards Paris. This will also see our Paralympic athletes take to the water for the first time this year, after a long winter of training, and I know they are keen to get their season underway.”

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant have continued to dominate the Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) and are the only GB Olympic class crew to remain unbeaten this Olympiad. Speaking after winning gold at World Cup I in Varese, Imogen said: “It’s a tight turnaround between events but for us this season it’s about taking each next step… that’s what Europeans is for us, the next step. Emily and I really respect what each other brings to the boat and a lot of the time we’re not even talking about winning the race, we’re talking about being a better boat than we were last race, last season, last Olympiad, and we’ll keep doing that.”

Varese winners in the Men’s eight (M8+), Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charlie Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and cox Harry Brightmore are also building on learnings from each race as Morgan explains: “I expect we’ll have the Romanians at the Europeans and the Aussies a few weeks later… and all the crews we’ve been against in the past. We’ll see everyone before the Olympics, but all at different times, so we’ve got to be on our ‘A game’ every single time we race. It’s all about learning as much as possible. Obviously, winning gold in Varese is a good confidence boost and we have so much trust for each other in this boat, but every race is a new start and ultimately it’s all about learning each time to prepare for the big one in the summer.”

Fresh from topping the podium in Varese are Helen Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten in the Women’s four (W4-). Helen said: “A gold medal is the best way to start the season! We’ve just got back home and are getting back into training to flow onto the Europeans. It’s important to keep the consistency now – make sure we’re not peaking for this, we’re peaking for 100 days time. We haven’t been together in this combination for long, so finding out where we are and what we need to work on is step one for going forward.”

The fastest British Men’s pair ever, Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George, are back in the Men’s pair (M2-) fresh from the win in Varese. Ollie said: “The Europeans is next the big stepping stone for us before the Olympics in the summer.”

Focussing fully on the Women’s Eight (W8+), with no doubling up in Hungary are Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart, Holly Dunford, Emily Ford, Hattie Taylor, Annie Campbell-Orde, and cox Henry Fieldman. Hattie said: “It’s a relatively quick turnaround as we head towards the Europeans, but we’ve now got momentum and a fire in the belly from Varese to try and attack the championships. There will be a lot less racing for us at the Europeans, maybe two or three instead of four or five. We’re absolutely barrelling towards the Olympics and we’re really excited about where it’s going”.

The Men’s four (M4-) of Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson and the Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) of Callum Dixon, Tom Barras and Matt Haywood and Graeme Thomas are unchanged after winning silver at World Rowing Cup I in Varese. Also returning to build on their Varese performance are Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw in the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x).

The small boats see Rebecca (Becky) Wilde and Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne making their season debut in the Women’s double sculls (W2x) and Seb Devereux and John Collins looking to improve on their Varese B final win in the Men’s double sculls (M2x). Rebecca Edwards and Chloe Brew will return in the Women’s pair (W2-) and George Bourne will be racing in the Men’s single sculls (M1x) after both crews finished in 4th in Varese. Olivia Bates will take to the water with confidence after her gold in the Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x).

Para rowing crews will be taking to the water for the first time this season. Newcomer Joshua (Josh) O’Brien joins Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Ed Fuller and cox Erin Kennedy in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four (PR3 Mix4+). Josh, 21, from Northamptonshire said: “I am so excited to get going on my first senior international race. We’ve had a good block of training and I can’t wait to get out there. I’ve started training full time this year and I’m really enjoying it. Being surrounded by so many top professional athletes is driving me on massively…. I guess I’m a professional athlete now too!”

Also racing are Benjamin Pritchard in the PR1 men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x), Sam Murray and Annie Caddick in the PR3 mixed double sculls (PR3 Mix 2x) and World Champions Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson in the PR2 mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x).

You can follow the European Rowing Championships across British Rowing social media channels and the World Rowing website. Racing will also be shown on BBC iPlayer and the BBC website.

The Great Britain crews racing at the European Rowing Championships in Szeged are:

Men’s crews

Men’s eight (M8+)

Sholto Carnegie (Leander Club/Marlow RC)
Rory Gibbs (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Morgan Bolding (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Jacob Dawson (Leander Club/Plymouth ARC)
Charlie Elwes (Leander Club)
Tom Digby (Oxford Brookes University BC/Griffen BC)
James Rudkin (Newcastle University BC/Hollowell Scullers)
Tom Ford (Leander Club)
Harry Brightmore (cox) (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Steve Trapmore

Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x)

Callum Dixon (Twickenham RC)
Tom Barras (Burway RC/Leander Club)
Matt Haywood (Nottingham RC/Burton Leander RC)
Graeme Thomas (Agecroft RC)
Coach: Paul Stannard

Men’s four (M4-)

Oli Wilkes (Oxford Brookes University BC)
David Ambler (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Matt Aldridge (Oxford Brookes University BC/Christchurch RC)
Freddie Davidson (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Coach: Christian Felkel/Dan Moore

Men’s pair (M2-)

Ollie Wynne-Griffith (Leander Club/Cambridge University BC)
Tom George (Leander Club/Cambridge University BC)
Coach: Christian Felkel/Dan Moore

Men’s double sculls (M2x)

John Collins (Leander Club)
Seb Devereux (Leander Club)
Coach: Paul Stannard

Men’s single sculls (M1x)

George Bourne (Leander Club)
Coach: Kieran Clark

Men’s reserves

Sam Nunn (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Will Stewart (Leander Club)

Para crews

PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix 4+)

Frankie Allen (Oxford Brookes University BC)
Joshua 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 Mix 2x)

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

PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x)

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

PR1 Men’s single sculls (PR1 M1x)

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

Women’s crews

Women’s eight (W8+)

Heidi Long (Leander Club/Marlow RC)
Rowan McKellar (Leander Club/Broxbourne RC)
Lauren Irwin (Leander Club/Durham University/Chester-le-Street ARC)
Eve Stewart (Leander Club)
Holly Dunford (Molesey BC)
Emily Ford (Leander Club)
Hattie Taylor (Leander Club/Sir William Perkins’s School)
Annie Campbell-Orde (Leander Club)
Henry Fieldman (cox) (Leander Club)
Coach: Rich Chambers

Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x)

Lauren Henry (Leicester RC)
Hannah Scott (Bann RC/Leander Club)
Lola Anderson (Leander Club/Newcastle University BC)
Georgie Brayshaw (Leander Club)
Coach: Andrew Randell

Women’s four (W4-)

Helen Glover (Marlow RC)
Esme Booth (Leander Club/Stratford upon Avon BC)
Sam Redgrave (Leander Club/Norwich RC)
Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC)
Coach: James Harris

Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x)

Emily Craig (University of London BC)
Imogen Grant (Cambridge University BC)
Coach: Darren Whiter

Women’s double sculls (W2x)

Rebecca Wilde (Leander Club/Bath University BC)
Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne (Upper Thames RC)
Coach: Tom Pattichis

Women’s pair (W2-)

Rebecca Edwards (Leander Club)
Chloe Brew (Leander Club/Plymouth ARC)
Coach: Rich Chambers

Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x)

Olivia Bates (Nottinghamshire County RA/University of Nottingham BC)
Coach: Darren Whiter

Women’s reserves

Eleanor Brinkhoff (Leander Club)
Lucy Glover (Edinburgh University BC/Warrington RC)

European Rowing Championships Team Management, Coaching and Support staff

Louise Kingsley: Team Leader
Tom Dyson: Para Team Leader
Jo Bates: Team Manager
Maurice Hayes: Resources Manager
Andrew Randell: Head Coach – Women
James Harris: Women’s Coach
Darren Whiter: Women’s Coach
Richard Chambers: Women’s Coach
Tom Pattichis: Women’s Coach
Paul Stannard: Head Coach – Men
Dan Moore: Men’s Coach
Steve Trapmore: Men’s Coach
Christian Felkel: Men’s Coach
Kieran Clark: Men’s Coach
Nick Baker: Head Coach – Para
Nicola Benavente: Para Coach
Ann Redgrave: Doctor
Penny Stern: Physiotherapist – Women
Emma Stewart: Physiotherapist – Men
Pat Dunleavy: Physiotherapist – Para
Lizzie Jacobs: Sports Science
Molly Lloyd-Jones: Sports Science
Wendy Martinson: Nutritionist
Shelley Wyatt: Communications amd Media
Dan Lockey: Regatta Support
Paul Cobbett: Regatta Support