Matt learned to row at the club back in 2010 when he was just 12. It wasn’t long before he was showing his ability:

Matt and his crew won J14 Coxed Quads at Worcester Regatta in 2012 – probably not even dreaming that his London 2012 wristbands would be replaced in 2024 by full Olympic kit!

By 2014 he was winning bronze in the J16 Quadruple Sculls at the British Rowing Junior Championships, and in 2016 he was selected to represent GB in the Double Sculls at the Coupe de la Jeunesse, where he won two silver medals. He then stepped up to the GB Under 23 Rowing Team, winning gold at the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in both 2018 and 2019 in the Quadruple Sculls.

Since then, Matt has gone from strength to strength, winning silver at the senior World Rowing Championships in 2022 and reaching the final of the Men’s Quadruple Sculls at the Olympic Games in Paris this year, finishing fourth.

Throughout his journey, Matt has never forgotten where it all started and can often be seen down at Burton Leander RC encouraging the next generation of would-be Olympians. The club’s juniors really look up to him – in more ways than one!

In recognition of Matt’s successes, he was invited to the Club on Saturday, 28 September where he named the new boat and was also presented with Life Membership of the club.

GB (with Matt at 3) qualified directly for Final A of the Men’s Quadruple Sculls at Paris 2024. Photo: Steve McArthur / Row360

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It was another dominant row for the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x) of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw. They led throughout and won their heat, finishing 4 seconds faster than the Dutch, who won the first heat. They are now through to the final on Wednesday.

Georgie said: “The first race I always feel is the most nerve wracking – figuring out how the field has moved on. Now it’s just building on that for the final. It’s about remembering that this is the same 2km lake as everywhere else I’ve ever rowed – just trying to block out everything else that’s happening. It’s the Olympics and it’s so special but that doesn’t matter when we’re racing, we’ll think about that later.”

Lauren said: “It’s very exciting to get the first race down and take the win from the heat. I think now we focus, keep very internal and focus our intention of preparing ourselves as best as we can for Wednesday’s final. That’s where the big dance is, the race we’ve been preparing for all this time. Really pleased but excited to see what we can do on Wednesday. “

On being favourites, Lola added: “We try to block out all the noise of coming in as favourites. We have had seasons before where we’ve come in as underdogs and had great results, then come in as favourites and havent come on top. It doesn’t make any difference to us, we just try to respond to whatever the crews are doing on the day and move with them.”

Photo credit: Steve McArthur / Row360

The Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) of Tom Barras, Callum Dixon, Matt Haywood and Graeme Thomas are also through to Wednesday’s final, with a second place finish in their heat.

Callum said: “What gives us confidence is this saying we’ve always had – the water, the wind and the waves don’t know it’s the Olympic Games. So it’s different because you’ve got five other boats side by side but internally we’re running the same processes, rowing the same patterns. There’s a lot of confidence to be taken from that.”

On making his Olympic debut, Matt said: “It was really good to get my first race in at my first Olympics. We’ve definitely got a lot of stuff to work on, but it was a good first round to get done. All eyes on the final next week. I think you’ve got to think of this as another race – as soon as you start to think about it as an Olympics, nerves will build and panic starts to set in. It’s just another race – there are less crews and we’ve faced them all before. It’s the same people, we have to focus on that.

“The thing that’s so different is the crowd – there are so many people. This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. From the 1000m mark you have people screaming and shouting the whole way, and to know my family and friends are there and supporting from home, it really adds to it.”

Photo credit: Steve McArthur / Row360

The first race of the day saw Becky Wilde and Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne finish second in the Women’s double sculls (W2x), booking their place in the semi final.

Becky said: “I think that was a really solid start, we’ve all had really great training camps so I’m glad we could go out and show that in our race today. It’s a relief that we got to the start line in one piece, it’s a dream come true. I’m really glad we have had a good start to the regatta.”

Mathilda added: “This Olympics is so different to the last one now that I’m a mum. I’m grateful that I have friends and family out here – we have a big support network and that really helps. We’re learning every time, this is the first time we’ve avoided the repechage. We’ve had some solid training blocks so I’m excited to see what we can do each time we race. From all three heats the results are all over the place so I can’t predict who will be in the final, but it’s a very exciting event to be a part of.”

Olympic Rowing Regatta Hub Page

The post Team GB Rowing under way in Paris with two A Finals secured on day one of the Olympic Rowing Regatta appeared first on British Rowing.

Of the 23 women and 19 men, 50% are making their Olympic debut and 50% are returning Olympians. These include double Olympic Champion Helen Glover, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Tom Barras and Team GB’s only brother and sister, Tom and Emily Ford.

“Team GB has an impressive Olympic tradition in rowing, and I am delighted to welcome the 42 athletes that have been selected today for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” commented Team GB Chef de Mission, Mark England.

“The Olympic experience in this squad is huge, and I have no doubt it will be an asset to the 21 athletes who will make their Olympic debut in Paris this summer. Team GB is also set to include more women than men in the team for a second successive Games and it is fantastic to see two mothers, Helen Glover and Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne, named as part of the team today.

“Our rowers have posted some outstanding results this season and I am sure the crews will relish the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of their friends, family, and Team GB fans as they race the Olympic course at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France in Paris this July.”

Commenting on the team selection, British Rowing Director of Performance Louise Kingsley, who will be Rowing Team Leader in Paris, said: “This Olympic cycle has come with a few challenges along the way, but the athletes, support staff and coaches have really pulled together to create a fantastic atmosphere, culture and training environment that has lead to impressive results on the water. We qualified nine boats at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and added a tenth most recently at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. Now, we have selected a very strong team of athletes with a good mix of returning and first-time Olympians who I know are relishing the opportunity to go out there and write a unique chapter in the legacy of the GB Rowing Team.”

Olympic Regatta Results and more

Meet the crews:

Women’s four (W4-)

Photo: Team GB

Double Olympic champion and mum of three, Helen Glover is joined by returning Olympian Rebecca Shorten alongside Esme Booth and Sam Redgrave who are both making their Olympic debuts. This crew formed at the start of the 2024 season and are unbeaten this year having won gold at World Rowing Cup I, World Rowing Cup II and the European Rowing Championships.

Helen said: “Selection for my fourth Games feels different because the first time I still had this disbelief that I was becoming an Olympian! A huge reason for aiming for Paris was thinking how great it will be to have my family there to watch and support me and being able to share all of this with them is so special.

“Our four has a very good mix of Rebecca’s experience and the new energy of Esme and Sam and I do really feel more emotional for them than myself, seeing them enjoy this for the first time and getting their first Olympic vest. I love celebrating other people, so seeing them have this experience today and witnessing them enjoying this for the first time is amazing. I’m so fortunate that I’ve rowed with the most phenomenal people throughout my career… It’s exactly the same here in our four and I’m really enjoying working with them.”

Men’s four (M4-)

Photo: Team GB

The four has medalled at every event this Olympiad (nine gold, one silver, one bronze). Identified as part of the ‘Project Paris’ group in 2020, Oli Wilkes, Matt Aldridge and old school friends, David Ambler and Freddie Davidson will all be making their Olympic debuts in Paris.

Oli said: “It’s very surreal to be selected for our first Games. I never really thought this would be a possibility and it feels so special. It’s been a lot of hard work but it’s a brilliant opportunity. There’s a lot more to a Games, but we want to keep thinking about it as another race, to not get overwhelmed by the occasion and to focus on the job at hand!”

Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x)

Photo: Team GB

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant are reuniting for Paris after missing the podium in Tokyo by just 0.01 seconds and only 0.5 seconds off gold. Since then, Emily has kept a print out of that photo finish on her living room wall. Stepping on this cycle, the double are one of only two crews in the World to remain unbeaten this Olympiad. They have the chance to make history by becoming the last ever Olympic medallists in this event.

Emily said: “Double Olympian sounds crazy! Being an Olympian the first time round was something I had dreamt of since I was 12 years old, so going to two Olympics is even more out there! I thought I would be one and done, and here I am back for Paris!”

Men’s pair (M2-)

Photo: Team GB

Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George won bronze at the Tokyo games in the Men’s eight. They switched to the Men’s pair after taking a year out to study at Cambridge and compete in the Boat Race. They have been on the podium at every race this cycle (seven gold, three silver, one bronze), won their first championship title at the 2024 European Rowing Championships, and are unbeaten in 2024.

Ollie said: “Last time GB won gold in the pair was Redgrave and Pinsent in 1996 and that was the only gold for Team GB at that Games. That’s when Lottery funding started and that makes it even more special to be in this boat class and to try to emulate what those guys did. It’s nice to have the opportunity to put our little piece of history in the much bigger puzzle that is Team GB.

“For me, having friends and family in Paris will be amazing as it gives them the opportunity to watch and support us in something that will seem almost like a home Games. To share that with them, whatever the result, is something really special.”

Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x)

Photo: Team GB

Hannah Scott returns after racing the quad in Tokyo. She is joined by first time Olympians, Lola Anderson, Georgie Brayshaw, and Lauren Henry. The quad were crowned World and European champions in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Lauren, the youngest athlete in the squad said: “It’s amazing and a dream come true to be selected. I want to thank everyone who has helped to get me to this point, my parents, coaches and teammates. It’s incredible being the youngest in the team. I remember being on a junior training camp and the coach said ‘one of you could still make the Paris team’ and I thought ‘I want that to be me!’, so to actually do it is amazing. I might be the youngest but I know I’m surrounded by a great group of experienced people and am confident in my performance and results. Ultimately, we still have a job to do and want to get a result in Paris that we can be proud of.”

Men’s eight (M8+)

Photo: Team GB

Tokyo bronze medallists Jacob Dawson, Charlie Elwes, James Rudkin and Tom Ford are joined in the eight by returning Olympians Sholto Carnegie and Rory Gibbs. Morgan Bolding was a reserve in Tokyo and will therefore make his Olympic debut along with Tom Digby, and cox, Harry Brightmore. The eight are double European and double World Champions this cycle. They are coached by Men’s eight Sydney 2000 gold medallist, Steve Trapmore.

Tom said: “It’s always amazing to be told you are selected for Team GB. For me, knowing that my sister Emily has also been selected for her second Games (in the Women’s eight) is huge. It’s a really proud moment for our family. Sharing this experience with Emily is just brilliant.”

Women’s eight (W8+)

Photo: Team GB

Heidi Long, Holly Dunford, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart and Annie Campbell-Orde are all making their Olympic debuts. Hattie Taylor and Rowan McKellar have switched from the four in Tokyo while Emily Ford is the only returning athlete from the eight in 2020. Cox Henry Fieldman won bronze in the Tokyo GB men’s eight and will make history as the first male to cox a female boat for GB at the Olympic Games.

On making her Olympic debut, Heidi said: “It’s something that myself, my family and friends have been working towards for a very long time, so the fact that it’s here still feels surreal. Everyday I’m trying to keep focussed on rowing and what we are trying to achieve but I also want to enjoy and feel the excitement of all these special moments like being here today and going to kitting out. It takes a village to get to this point and knowing that my friends and family will be in Paris to support the whole team will hopefully inspire and encourage us to have the best time of our lives.”

Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x)

Photo: Team GB

Tokyo silver medallist Tom Barras is joined by Olympic debutants Callum Dixon and Matt Haywood. Completing the quad is Graeme Thomas, who raced in the double in Tokyo and was selected for Rio 2016, where he was heartbreakingly taken ill before having a chance to take to the water.

Second-time Olympian, Tom said: “Olympic selection is awesome. It’s a huge moment in an athlete’s life. It’s the build up of so many years of training, hard work and effort. All the miles we put in at training camps, the frustration and the enjoyment, it all culminates in this… selection for the greatest show on earth! Winning the silver in Tokyo was a brilliant, magical experience and I hope we can continue to build on that.”

Women’s pair (W2-)

Photo: Team GB

Switching from the Women’s eight in Tokyo to the pair in Paris are Chloe Brew and Rebecca Edwards. Chloe’s father, Paul, swam for Team GB at Seoul 1988, while Rebecca’s proudest moment was winning World Cup gold in the Women’s eight in Lucerne in 2023.

Rebecca said: “Selection for a second Olympics is incredible. I always believed I could do it and I’m proud of myself for sticking through the hard times and for enjoying the good times and it’s so rewarding to feel I’ve got to this point. Chloe is my best friend in rowing, we live together, we row together so sharing this with her is pretty special and we are ready for it!”

Women’s double sculls (W2x)

Photo: Team GB

Becky Wilde and Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne qualified the double for the Games just two weeks ago. Becky joined the senior team this season and has only raced internationally at the 2024 European Championships and the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. Mathilda returns from Tokyo having taken time away from the team to have her son, Freddie. Now two, Freddie is enjoying supporting his mother on her Olympic journey.

Mathilda said: “The reality of us qualifying is starting to sink in! I’ve enjoyed the journey this time around and it’s great that my family and son Freddie can come out to Paris to support us. Becky is great to race with because she is fearless and energetic and I feel like we are really bringing out the best in each other.”

Team GB Rowing team

Women’s eight (W8+)

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

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

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

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)
Coaches: Christian Felkel/Dan Moore

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

Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x)

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

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)

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

Men’s pair (M2-)

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

Women’s pair (W2-)

Chloe Brew (Leander Club/Plymouth ARC)
Rebecca Edwards (Leander Club)
Coach: Tom Pattichis

Reserves

Photo: Team GB

Olivia Bates (Nottinghamshire County RA/University of Nottingham BC)
Lucy Glover (Edinburgh University BC/Warrington RC)
James Robson (Leander Club/Newcastle University BC)
Will Stewart (Leander Club)

Team Management, Coaching and Support staff

Louise Kingsley, Team Leader
Tom Dyson, Deputy 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
Ann Redgrave, Team Doctor
Penny Stern, Team Physiotherapist
Emma Stewart, Team Physiotherapist
Gareth Turner, Sports Scientist
Molly Lloyd-Jones, Sports Scientist
Shelley Wyatt, Team GB Press Officer
Paul Cobbett, Regatta Support
John Gearing, Regatta Support
Dan Lockey, Regatta Support

Crew photos: Team GB

The post Team GB rowing squad selected for Paris 2024 appeared first on British Rowing.

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 British Rowing 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 British Rowing.

The racing came thick and fast, with crews adding eight medals to the gold won by Olivia Bates in the lightweight women’s single on Saturday. The golds came in the Men’s pair, Lightweight Women’s double, Women’s four and Men’s eight.

It was a one, two in the Women’s four (W4-) with the GBR1 crew of Helen Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten taking gold and the GBR2 crew of Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Holly Dunford and Emily Ford taking the silver. The GBR3 crew of Hattie Taylor, Annie Campbell-Orde, Lauren Irwin and Eve Stewart were sixth.

Talking about the GB crews doubling up, Rebecca said: “It’s weird to be racing our teammates at this level, but we do so many pieces side by side that it feels like being back home – with a few extra crews! This regatta has been a good stepping stone, each race we’ve learned that we’ve still got so much more to come!”

Sam added: “I think we’ve been doing well in training and today was a good row. I think we have got that little bit of magic together which is really nice to have this early on. There’s more to come I’m sure!” Helen said: “A gold medal is the best way to start the season!”

Racing just 59 minutes after the Women’s four final, the Women’s eight (W8+) of Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart, Holly Dunford, Emily Ford, Hattie Taylor, Annie Campbell-Orde, and cox, Henry Fieldman battled through to win silver.

Holly said: “Having two races today was good fun and a good experience. I could definitely feel the first race in the legs in that second race, but it was good to race under those conditions. We had a turnaround of 59 minutes between the women’s four and the women’s eight races, but it’s good to get those races in the legs and still come away with two silver medals! We’ll regroup with the eight and figure out areas of improvement, but it’s definitely a good starting point and we’ll look to build on that as the season progresses.”

It was another World Cup gold medal for the GBR1 Men’s pair (M2-) Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George (GBR1) who haven’t lost a senior race at Lago di Varese. “We’re feeling good.” Tom said, adding: “Obviously it’s the first race in a long time, so we’re happy to get out there, get side by side and race these boys again because it’s a really strong field.” Ollie described the race as “a stepping stone”, saying: “The Europeans is the next big one for us ahead of the next World Rowing Cup and then the Olympics. So we will keep learning and continue to trust ourselves.”

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant were not phased by the drama going on around them in the lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) final. The Canadian crew caught a crab right off the blocks, but the GB crew won by almost 7 seconds, continuing their winning streak in this Olympiad.

Imogen said: “We saw something at the start but didn’t let it shake our rhythm and just did what we needed to do. Emily added: “I’m glad we’ve sunk our teeth into racing. We’ve been chomping at the bit to get going, it’s nice to come back in with a bang. I feel like we’ve moved on and shown the world a little bit of what we’ve been doing behind the scenes for the last six months.”

The final race of the day saw the Men’s eight (M8+) of Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charlie Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, Tom Ford and cox, Harry Brightmore win gold. Morgan said: “I think through the winter it’s tough to keep positive about what you’ve done in the past and believe you’ll still be good when you get to your next race. We don’t assume anything but this win gives us a lot of confidence. One good performance is nice to have on the board and there’s certainly more to come!”

The Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) of Callum Dixon, Tom Barras, Matt Haywood and Graeme Thomas won silver. Callum said; “That was our best row to date so we’re really happy to come away with a silver medal.”

Graeme said: “For me, 2022 could have been my last race and there were definitely moments in that period that I thought it could be, but here I am. I was a bit emotional on Friday getting the first race under my belt. Once I got over that hurdle we were back to business and I slotted back into the groove. These boys did a great job of facilitating all the little things I needed as I went through rehab, so I’m grateful to them and they did a great job today. Right now we’re taking it one day at a time and just focusing on what we need to do as a crew to improve.”

Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson in the Men’s four (M4-) were pipped on the finish line by Italy to take the silver in a very close finish. David said: “We started well but we felt Italy coming up in the last 500 and they put on an awesome sprint to come through in the last 100. It was great from them and full credit to them for that. I think it’ll be good for us to get onto Europeans quickly. We haven’t had too much racing this season, this is our first side-by-side match up, so it’ll be nice to give ourselves a week to work things out and come back and see where that puts us. I’m looking forward to it.”

George Bourne attacked the Men’s single sculls (M1x) final in a packed field that included the world champion and narrowly missed out on the podium finishing in fourth. Also finishing fourth were Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw in the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x) and Rebecca Edwards and Chloe Brew in the Women’s pair (W2-). The GBR2 Men’s pair (M2-) of Will Stewart and James Robson finished fifth.

Earlier in the day, John Collins and Seb Devereux won the Men’s Double sculls (M2x) B final, placing seventh overall.

Results from Sunday at World Rowing Cup I

Full results

The post Great Britain tops medal table at World Rowing Cup I 2024 appeared first on British Rowing.

GB Rowing currently sits top of the medal table with seven medals in total and have three further A finals to contest tomorrow.

Both the PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix2x) and PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+) won gold in the Paralympic class boats. In the Olympic class boats there was gold for the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x), Lightweight Women’s double (LW2x) and the Men’s four (M4-) a silver in the Men’s pair (M2-) and a bronze in the Women’s four (W4-).

The Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x) of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw had a real tussle with the Netherlands throughout the 2k course but kept their heads to win GB’s first World gold medal in that boat class since 2010. “It was absolutely amazing,” Lauren said, “We’ve practiced our race plan so many times, and we just executed it down to the wire. It was unbelievable. I’m so grateful to all these girls, they’ve helped me so much this season. It’s my first year on the team and my first World Championships and I can’t believe we’ve just won gold. I was so excited I let go of my blade at the finish! This season I was aiming to get a gold at U23s, so to get a gold at seniors is beyond anything.” Georgie added: “It’s a first senior gold medal for all of us, and to do it today it’s just like all the stars have aligned. We have worked so hard to get to this point, we’ve kept it calm, we lost a blade over the finish line but it doesn’t matter because I’m so proud of everyone!”

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant are now consecutive double World Champions in the Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x), as they continued their unbeaten run since the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. “I don’t have any words to describe how great that was!” Imogen said, “I feel like this whole Olympiad the excitement has been building. It’s an understatement to say how much we’ve improved in the last few months and I’m really excited to see what next season brings!” Emily added: “We missed out on the podium in Tokyo by such a small margin and I have the photo finish printed off, on my living room wall. It’s not a negative reminder anymore it’s more ‘look at how close we were in some incredibly trying circumstances’ and we are now at the point where we’ve had two exceptional seasons together and gained a wealth of experience so that the 6 minutes, 50 seconds of Tokyo 2021, pales into insignificance.”

Another boat celebrating becoming consecutive double World Champions were the Men’s four (M4-) of Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson, who pulled away from the pack in the last 500m to win by over 2 seconds. Freddie said: “It was an epic race. We said beforehand, people are going to do crazy things, it’s a World Champs final, you don’t just go off and settle for second or third, so we knew it was going to be hot all the way down the field. I’m just amazed, all of us are, it was an epic crew effort and epic commitment all the way.”

Oli said: “With the unbeaten season that we’ve had I think we felt a lot of pressure coming into this, but at the end of the day if you’ve had a good season you want to finish on a high and we managed to do it. It was an epic row from these three guys in front of me, I felt I could sit back and do my thing while these guys were hauling today. I’m really happy for us.”

Double Paralympic Champion Lauren Rowles and former Royal Engineer Commando Gregg Stevenson won a tight race in the PR2 Mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x), pulling away from China in the final strokes to cross the line first to continue their dominance in this boat class this season. Lauren said: “The China crew are phenomenal athletes. I raced them in Tokyo, they drove us out hard in Tokyo and they’ve driven us out hard here too. We were in the middle of that race and the Chinese started pushing back and we wanted to let them know that this is our day, this is our medal. For me I know they’re going to come out fighting, and that’s what we want! We want good racing, we want a great spectator sport! So for us that was a brilliant race.”

Gregg, celebrating his birthday as well as his first World Championship gold medal said: “I’ve never been in such a tight race, every other race we’ve managed to get out front. But that was something else and I was filled with adrenaline and we stuck at it together. I’m really glad we managed to get the win today.”

The PR3 Mixed coxed four (PR3 Mix4+) of Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Ed Fuller, Morgan Fice-Noyes and cox Erin Kennedy won another gold medal continuing the long running unbeaten status of the boat class. “It feels pretty special to be World Champions again,” Ed said, adding: “ It was special last year, but to be able to come back with a different crew and do exactly what we did last year is phenomenal. It wasn’t very easy out there, the headwind was strong and made quite hard work for us, but at the end of the day it’s about getting your bows across the lines first and that’s what we did.”

Frankie said: “It’s a privilege to be part of such an amazing crew. To qualify the boat for the Paralympics on Monday then topping off the week by winning gold today feels amazing.”

Erin, who has returned to cox the crew after her treatment and recovery from breast cancer said: “It’s been a big year. I remember this time last year I was at home feeling pretty sorry for myself but so proud of the team. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time and so to be here and to be on the top of the podium with the best team in the world, I couldn’t be happier.”

Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George achieved their best World Championship result to date, winning silver in the Men’s pair (M2-). Ollie said: “Some things didn’t go our way today and that’s sport. We want to win, so today feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, but we did well to get that silver medal and we qualified the boat for Paris so from that perspective, I’m pleased.”

The Women’s four (W4-) of Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Helen Glover and Rebecca Shorten were a little disappointed with their third place bronze. Rowan said: “It’s not exactly what we were coming here for and I feel like we’ve just missed the mark today. We’ve stepped on in the last six weeks, throughout the regatta and that shows how much we can step on in the next year. It’s definitely made us hungry and I think it will set us up for a really good year.”

The Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) of Callum Dixon, George Bourne, Matt Haywood and Tom Barras narrowly missed out on a podium spot in the final strokes of the race to place fourth.

There was excitement earlier in the day with Olympic qualification places still up for grabs. Emily Ford and Esme Booth needed to finish fifth or above in the B final of the Women’s pair (W2-). It was an epic race and they worked their way through the field to finish third (9th overall) to secure Olympic qualification. Emily said: “It’s so exciting to qualify the pair and we could become the first British women to double up and qualify two boats if we get within the top five in the eight tomorrow. It would be awesome to make some history and we’re one step closer to that!” When asked about doubling up and the number of races across the regatta, Esme commented: “The sunglasses are hiding a few sins there! It’s one of the hardest races I think we’ve ever done, we just kept going earlier and earlier, we just wanted to get that bow ball ahead. Everyone says that qualification regattas are so hard and that was BIG!”

You can follow the World Rowing Championships live across British Rowing social media channels, here on our World Rowing Championships hub and on the . The BBC will be covering tomorrow’s racing as follows:

• All finals on BBC iPlayer live from 12pm (commentary from Katie Smith and James Cracknell)
• Highlights on BBC2 at 3pm (with Matthew Pinsent and Katherine Grainger in the studio).

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Results from Day Seven finals at 2023 World Rowing Championships

Photos: Benedict Tufnell.

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