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.

It was a third place, bronze medal for Olivia Bates in a tight photo-finish in the Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x) final. “That was close”, Olivia said immediately after the race, “I am pleased, I managed to row through the field as they came through. I didn’t have the best start but the middle K was what really sealed the deal for me. I was waiting for the big screen to confirm the result and was praying that I’d done enough to cross the line!

“It was crazy to go into the double for the Europeans, and that gave me a lot of experience and helped me move up here compared with World Cup I. This is a stacked field here and I knew all the other girls in the final were going to be quick so I’m really pleased to have made the podium today.”

Both GBR Men’s pairs (M2-) are through to the final. The European Champions and fastest British pair ever GBR1 Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George were ahead throughout the race and won their semi final almost 5 seconds ahead of the Swiss World Champions.

Ollie said: “It was good, it was a step up from yesterday and it was probably the first time that we executed our plan exactly how we would have wanted it. Of course we’ll have to level it up for the final, but the bricks are in place in the wall. I love racing here, it’s fun. The Swiss are a very good crew so everytime you line up against them you’re nervous, but we’ll do it again tomorrow and see what happens. Today we slipped ahead more than we anticipated but honestly we’re not trying to think about the margins at all, it’s more about us and how well we can execute our best race. That’s what we’ve been focusing on for the whole year, so to do it like that is pleasing.”

The GBR2 Men’s pair, Will Stewart and James Robson were in a photo-finish semi-final, crossing the line just 0.76 behind Spain and 0.33 ahead of Ireland to book their place in the final.

James said: “We’re pretty new to the event so it’s always going to be a steep learning curve for us, but it’s nice to get out of the blocks well and get on to the rhythm nicely. We thought we found something really sweet through the middle and then the US and Ireland started pulling back on us and the race started to close up but I think we reacted well and managed to keep our nose in front. It was nice to be on the right side of a photo finish so it was a good step on and we’ve got more to find tomorrow. “We’ve got everything to gain, so we’re going to go out tomorrow, have some fun, see how fast we can go and put the cat amongst the pigeons!”

Will said: “Having two GB boats in the A Final tomorrow will be great, it’ll be fun to just get out and race them side-by-side.”  James added: “It has been so valuable having Tom and Ollie to train with and learn from because they’ve been in the pair for a few years and have been amazing. They’ve given us loads of tips, feedback and help about how to race in this challenging boat class. It’s  been great to be a pair’s group together and to see if we can go out together and do something special.”

Speaking about having two GB crews in the final, Ollie Wynne-Griffith added: “Having both of our crews in the final will be epic. I don’t think the team’s been in this shape for a very long time. Will and James are seriously good in the pair in their own right so it’s great to have them every single day in training keeping us honest. Those guys are our heroes and they have conducted themselves so well and taken any opportunity that comes their way. I would absolutely love it if we can get two crews on the podium tomorrow.”

Chloe Brew and Rebecca Edwards were fourth in the Women’s pair (W2-) semi final, narrowly missing out on a spot in the A final. Looking ahead to the B final, Rebecca said: “Obviously you want to be in an A final, but we’re always stepping on and learning. We set out in this pair to learn as much as we can every race and we learnt a lot today. I feel proud of us for being brave and taking on the World Champions and the World silver medallists right next to us, so there’ll be more to come. Nobody is turning up in Lucerne not good, every event is savage, so you just have to go for it and I feel proud of us for getting on with it and putting ourselves out there.”

The final race of the day saw Lucy Glover finish 14th overall in the C final of the Women’s single sculls (W1x).

Find out more on our World Cup II hub page

The post Olivia Bates wins bronze at World Rowing Cup II 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.

Olivia (Liv) Bates put Great Britain on the World Rowing Cup I medal table with her first senior gold in the Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x) on day two in Varese.

“It feels great!” Liv said, speaking to the media after the race, “This is my first international gold medal so it’s nice to start the season strong. I wanted to execute my race plan a little better today, and I was able to do that. It’s easy when there’s great conditions out here in Varese!

“This has been my first winter season full time with the GB Rowing Team at Caversham so it’s been a little different. I’d never really been on training camps before, and we’ve spent a lot of time away in Portugal over the winter so I think that’s given me a good base to start the season off. I’m just excited to get stuck into the Europeans and hopefully again at World Cup II. Overall great to have a golden start to the Olympic year for GB!”

The GBR2 Men’s pair (M2-) of Will Stewart and James Robson raced a classy repechage. Leading much of the way they had a final sprint tussle with Croatia’s Sinkovic brothers with the GB pair pipping the Olympic champions on the final few strokes by just 0.11 seconds. They will meet again in the final along with the GBR1 pair Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith who progressed yesterday.

Will said: “We’ve not been in the pair very long, so every session is a good learning experience and every race is something that we can build on. We did a good job stepping on from yesterday and obviously it’s nice to win. There’s more to be refined tomorrow for sure. James added: “The final is a very competitive field with World Champions, the Olympic Champions, World and Olympic medalists, so it’s a great opportunity for us as a second boat to be able to go up against them and see if we can get a good result for the entire reserve team.”

George Bourne secured a spot in the Men’s single sculls (M1x) A final with a solid third place finish in the semi-final. “I learned a lot about racing internationally in a single during the heat and the semi final yesterday and I’m pleased to come out today and execute a slightly different focus with a bit more concentration, a bit more intent. I’m in the final with World and Olympic medalists, but we’ve also got three guys who are still fighting to qualify for the Olympics. I don’t know if that gap will be huge between those two groups. What I’m trying to do first and foremost is qualify for the Olympics, and the big lesson is, to do that I’m going to have to be in with the top scullers in the World. I’m hoping to keep stepping on and keep improving and am excited to get on that start line tomorrow.

The Women’s four (W4-) final will feature three GBR crews as the GBR3 boat of Hattie Taylor, Annie Campbell-Orde, Lauren Irwin and Eve Stewart won their repechage after leading the race throughout. They will join the GBR1 and GBR2 crews who secured final places yesterday. They will also be doubling up, along with GBR2 to race the Women’s eight (W8+) final on Sunday, just an hour later.

“Today was a good race and a lot of fun.” Eve said, adding “We’re a pretty new crew but we had clear goals on what we wanted to do after yesterday, and we executed it exactly how we wanted. Yesterday was definitely a hard draw, with all three GB crews in the same heat, because we spent the winter doing that, but we’ve done such good training as an entire squad and it was nice to be able to show that again today. It might feel a bit like Caversham again in the final tomorrow – but it’s brilliant that all of us will be on the start line! We only have a 59 minute turnaround from one start line to the other, so it’s going to be a busy but hopefully good day!”

It’s a B final for John Collins and Seb Devereux who narrowly missed out on the A final with a third place finish in the Men’s Double sculls (M2x) repechage. John said: “We’re feeling a bit frustrated as we’re on the wrong side of where we wanted to be, but that’s two races in a row now where we’ve looked over and been able to see last year’s medallists. So there are some positives to take from today and now we have to get on the right side of the tight margins. We’ve made good improvement on yesterday in terms of how we wanted to execute the race and hopefully we can keep learning and improving as we look ahead to the B final tomorrow.”

You can follow World Rowing Cup I across British Rowing social media channels and on our website hub. Tomorrow’s racing will also be shown on BBC iPlayer and the BBC website. 

The post Bates ‘Livs’ it up with first senior gold for Great Britain at World Rowing Cup I appeared first on British Rowing.

With friends and family cheering from a packed grandstand, and despite some challenging, windy conditions, the mood in the team was buoyant as crews crossed the finish line knowing that their boat would be on the trailer to Paris.

Continuing their unbeaten run, Emily Craig and Imogen Grant dominated their Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) semi final, qualifying the boat for Paris almost five seconds ahead of Romania. “I’m really happy with that race,” Imogen said. “The conditions are unpredictable but we just wanted to focus on us. As head-windy as that was and as slow as it was, it was really enjoyable.” Emily added: “I think the stakes are higher in a semi, especially with qualification at stake, everyone went out so much harder. It’s a real testament to how well we execute, because it would have been easy to lose our nerve, but calming down and setting up that rhythm really paid off.”

The Women’s four (W4-) of Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Helen Glover and Rebecca Shorten were pure class, leading the field from the off and cruising to victory. “I feel like we stepped on from the heat,” Helen said, “And hopefully we’ve got another step for the final. It’s also  awesome to qualify the boat for Paris. It’s Heidi’s first experience of qualifying for the Olympics, so for us to have that moment with her crossing the line, it’s super exciting. We’ll let ourselves have a little pat on the back and then move on to the main job on Saturday.”

Heidi added: “It’s one of those races that you think is a dream! You just enjoy it and take it a stroke at a time. I think we’ve had a clear goal to focus on our process, from getting from A to B and ignoring what the result is going to be. We just wanted to step on from the heat, and not think about what the race meant, and now that it’s over I’m very happy and can just enjoy the rest of today.”

Once again the GB duo of Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George led from the start to win the Men’s pair (M2-) semi final in convincing style. Tom said: “It’s not a secret that we didn’t qualify a pair for the Tokyo Olympics, so job number one is done. That’s what we trained for all year. Now we focus on the big task ahead on Saturday and the A final.” Ollie added: “I’m very happy and it’s good to have a few seats that we didn’t have in Tokyo qualified. We crossed the line and we said: job one, done. A job done for the team most importantly, but Saturday can be very much for us and about us, which is a nice feeling. Overall, I’m happy with the row and happy that we are stepping on through the regatta despite the tough conditions.”

It was a composed and classy win for the Men’s four (M4-) of Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson, who now race the A final on Saturday. Freddie said: “There are some tough conditions out there, so we knew it was going to be a long race, a long slog and that everyone was going to be gunning for it. We were fighting all the way down and are very happy to have come away with a semi final win and to also qualify the boat for the Olympics, but it’s not ‘job done’ for us. We’ve got to look ahead to Saturday as that’s the real aim of the season.”

The Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x) of Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw were thrilled to win in the fastest time across both semi finals, and qualify for Paris. Georgie said: “It feels so good, I’ve never been to a qualifying regatta before so to have qualified for the Olympics is a step forward and I’m really happy. Now we’ve got to park that and move on to step two which is the final and hopefully some medals!”

The Men’s quadruple sculls (M4x) of Callum Dixon, George Bourne, Matt Haywood and Tom Barras were second in their semi final, behind Netherlands. “I think that’s the job done in terms of what we needed to do for that race,” said Tom, adding: “We put ourselves in a sketchy situation early on but it’s a testament to the boys that we kept it calm and composed throughout the race. So I think that is job done today and we definitely need to build for the final. It’s great that we have qualified the boat for the Olympics but we now need to try and push the top boats and medal in the final.”

With 11 qualifying spots available, Emily Ford and Esme Booth will have another opportunity to qualify the Women’s pair (W2-) for Paris in the B final following a sixth place finish in their semi final.

In the remaining races of the day, Olivia Bates is into the Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x) B final after finishing fourth in the semi, Lucy Glover will race the Women’s single sculls (W1x) D final, and Kyra Edwards and Saskia Budgett will race the Women’s Double Sculls (W2x) C final after a great sprint to the line saw them win the C/D semi final.

You can follow the World Rowing Championships live across British Rowing social media channels, here on our World Rowing Championships hub and on the . Finals will be shown on BBC2, BBC iPlayer and the BBC website.

Sign up for email updates

Results from Day Five at 2023 World Rowing Championships

Photos: Benedict Tufnell

The post Super six stun as GB crews secure more Olympic qualification slots  appeared first on British Rowing.

The racing came thick and fast for GB on the Rotsee at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, with the last of the day seeing Olivia holding on to the third place spot in a tight finish in the lightweight women’s single sculls. Picking up her second bronze at consecutive events she said: “it was nice to have a flat lake this time to race on, the conditions were amazing and it was good to just be able to put more power down. It was nice to maintain my position from World Cup II, I felt like I was able to step on again for this race. I knew it was going to be tight on the line but luckily I had built enough distance through the middle to cling on for the last few strokes! It was a tough race but it was great to get out there and come away with a medal”.

Both Men’s four (M4-) crews will line up in the A final after GBR1 of Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson won their semi final ahead of New Zealand by a length and GBR2 of Dan Graham, James Robson, Sam Bannister and Sam Nunn came second, behind Australia in their semi final.

Oli Wilkes from GBR1 said: “We had a decent time trial yesterday and we wanted to step on today and be a bit more ‘racier’ and assertive in the first 1k. We have to respect our opposition, we’re racing against quality  crews  like the Kiwis and French who were close to us in the Europeans, so I think we managed to step on with the pressure that came from side by side racing. We’re happy with that race but we’ve got a bit more to go in the final tomorrow. I want to say a big well done to the GBR2 four as well, there’s a couple of guys in their first senior vests and we look forward to racing them tomorrow.”

Sam Bannister from GBR2 said: “This was our second race together so we just looked to improve on yesterday. We reflected on yesterday and worked on where we thought we could do better. We’re really happy with it. Hopefully we’ll just keep going like we have been, find some more speed for tomorrow and see where it goes. There’s two GB boats in the final tomorrow, there’s not many nations that could do that so we’re really proud of that.”

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant remain unbeaten this season, with another convincing win in the Lightweight women’s double sculls (LW2x) semi final.

“With every race it might be easy to say ‘we’ve won the last few so it should be a given’ but we never want to underestimate the competition and the new combinations that come to the event.” Imogen said, adding “It’s  always a pleasure to race and we want to keep doing what we’re doing, follow our processes and cross the line first.”

Emily said: “We got a nice clean start, took a canvas then half an length and we were in control from there. Bring on the final tomorrow.”

Ollie Wynne-Griffith & Tom George led their Men’s pair (M2-) semi final for much of the race but were pipped on the line by Romania by just 0.32 seconds. They will race the final on Sunday. After the race Ollie said: “It was a tight one and they’re (Romania) obviously a very good crew. We’re pleased with some elements of the race and know there are some we need to work on. There are probably 5 or 6 crews who think they can win tomorrow, and that’s what racing is all about, so pretty excited for tomorrow.”

Tom added: “there are bits to work on. It probably wasn’t our best journey in terms of how we wanted to race it. We tried to dominate and kill the race too early and that’s unrealistic at this level. We’ve got bits to work on, bring on the final tomorrow.”

Georgie Brayshaw, Lucy Glover, Hannah Scott and Lauren Henry will also race the A final after a solid performance in the Women’s quadruple sculls (W4x) repechage. Georgie said: “This repechage was another chance for us to get race practice, an opportunity to add in little things we want to tweak here and there and to try things out, so it’s never a bad thing. We’re a slightly new crew and it’s really come together. We see steps on every race we do, and I think that was another step on. We didn’t feel the need to go wild at the end, we just thought ‘right, we’re ahead, let’s cover our basis. We’ve got this’ and we got it in. It was a really solid race.”

Aidan Thompson and double Olympian John Collins will race the Men’s Double sculls (M2x) B final after a 5th place finish in the semi final. 2020 Olympian Chloe Brew and GB debutante Juliette Perry will race the Women’s pair (W2-) B final after a sixth place finish in the semi final.

Kyra Edwards was second in the Women’s single sculls (W1x) D final (20 overall while Tobias Schröder finished his men’s single sculls (M1x) F final in third place (33 overall).

You can follow the World Cup III action live across British Rowing social media channels and on BBC iPlayer and website.

Results from Day Two at World Rowing Cup III 2023

The post Olivia Bates wins World Rowing Cup bronze – GB to race in eight A Finals on Sunday appeared first on British Rowing.

]]>

Louise Kingsley, Director of Performance for the GB Rowing Team said: “This has been a solid start to the 2023 season and there have been some stunning performances out on the lake but there is still work to be done as we progress towards the World Championships later this year.”

Double Paralympic Champion, Lauren Rowles and new partner Gregg Stevenson put in one of the performances of the weekend to set a new World Best time of 08:02.94 in the PR2 mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x). Speaking before collecting their gold medal Lauren said: “You can’t do much better than that. Certainly one of those days of your career that you will look back on and think it was a special day. One of the best – especially with this guy. We’re having so much fun rowing together – he turns up with the determination and perseverance to make this boat go faster and it’s given me the lease of life to do the same.”

This is what it’s all about.” said Gregg, reflecting on winning gold in his first international regatta, adding: “it’s been my first racing experience and a real learning curve, but there’s sunshine, a fast course, beautiful Bled and rowing with Lauren. She’s the GOAT!”

The Men’s four (M4-) of Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson retained their title as European Champions with a convincing clear water win. Matt said: “We’re very happy with that. It’s quite scrappy out there, windy and bouncy, but we dealt with it well. We got out and didn’t let anyone back in. We’re a new crew so we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves – we’re 50% different from last year’s crew, but the two guys have jumped in and did amazingly well.”

Freddie added: “We were expecting it to be bouncy so we were ready for it. I looked down and we were going a lot faster than I expected which was good. It’s a case of trying to keep it clean and not lose any speed, and I’m happy with how we did that. Now the focus is to take this, go to the next world cup with no expectations and be free to do our race plan and see where we end up. That’s our ethos in the four – go in with no expectations and enjoy our rowing and the racing and see what we get out of it.”

The final gold medal of the day came in the PR3 Mix4+ with Erin Kennedy (cox), Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Ed Fuller and Morgan Fice-Noyes continuing to dominate in this boat class.

Erin, who was returning to the team after being given the all clear from breast cancer said: “I’ve run that moment over my head many times. I keep crying. It means so much to me to be back because the last time I raced was at the Europeans last summer where I was quite poorly, but I managed to get through. To be back here doing it again with a new combination and be European Champions is amazing. It goes to the credit of the team behind the team as well for everything they do to get us out and racing.”

Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George picked up another European silver Men’s pair (M2-) medal after a photo finish which saw them just edged out by the Swiss. “It would’ve been nice to come home with the win,” said Ollie, with Tom adding: “It’s a strong field and something that we can learn from. There’s a bit to build on as we move through the year, but a good start to the season overall.”

The Women’s Eight (W8+) of Emily Ford, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave, Lauren Irwin, Annie Campbell-Orde, Natasha Morrice, Karen Bennett, Hattie Taylor and cox, Henry Fieldman also won a silver medal.

Speaking after the race, Rio 2016 silver medallist and Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Karen Bennett said: “It was definitely a blast from the past for sure. The last race I did was the Olympics so it’s just refreshing my memory and going out there and getting everything back on track. It’s great to be back in the team alongside these girls who are just fantastic, and Henry as well of course. So we’re getting back into the swing of things and a silver medal here is a great start to the season. There’s still a lot of racing to come and hopefully we can step on as we go.”

Emily Ford and Esme Booth who doubled up, finished fifth in the Women’s pair (W2-) before picking up their silver in the Women’s Eight.

Olivia Bates finished 8th overall after a tight B final race in the Lightweight women’s single sculls (LW1x) while Saskia Budgett and Kyra Edwards finished 9th overall in the B final of the Women’s double sculls (W2x).

Finals Results  at the 2023 European Rowing Championships

The post Great Britain tops medal table at European Rowing Championships appeared first on British Rowing.