Leander athletes help GB smash European Championship records

LEANDER athletes helped Great Britain top the European Rowing Championships medal table after a thrilling 90 minutes in Plovdiv which saw all five racing crews win gold on Sunday, adding to the gold, silver and two bronze medals won on Saturday.

Pristine racing conditions in Bulgaria saw records broken and history made at the European Rowing Championships, with 28 British athletes crowned champions of Europe. It was a first-ever European gold medal win for GB in the men’s quadruple sculls. The crew of Leander’s Cedol Dafydd and Rory Harris along with Callum Dixon and Matt Haywood dominated the race and achieved a European best time of five minutes and 35 seconds.

Speaking after the race, a delighted Harris said: “We didn’t know the time. We were just thinking about our race plan, thinking about getting our bow ball in front. So to have that record as well feels incredible.”

Dafydd added: “When we came through under the bridge we knew we were picking up momentum, going quicker and quicker and across the line, it honestly was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. It was awesome. I couldn’t be prouder of all the four of us.” The all-Leander women’s quadruple sculls crew of Sarah McKay, Lola Anderson, Cam Nyland and Becky Wilde also won gold in a European Championship best time.

After the race, McKay said: “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet but wow, it’s always been a dream and then it’s finally happened, and in my first senior international race too.”

Anderson added: “It was one of the quickest runs I’ve ever done in a women’s quad, so we’re happy to come away from the first race of the new Olympic season with gold and already be pumping out quick times. I think it is testament to how much strength and depth there is in this new team, and we’re not finished yet.”

The women’s eight of Leander’s Eleanor Brinkhoff, Amelia Standing, Juliette Perry, Lauren Irwin, Heidi Long and cox Jack Tottem, along with Daisy Bellamy, Martha Birtles and Megan Slabber timed their race to perfection to take the gold. Speaking after the race, Standing said: “We had a strong start. That’s what we were working on from our heat. And then at about 750 to go, Jack told us to go and we went for it. We slowly wheeled in the Netherlands and got our bow ahead. We haven’t won a gold in this event since 2016, so it’s even more special to bring it back home.”

Irwin added: “It was a very special day, obviously, the past four years training for Paris was unforgettable, but now it’s a new season, and we’re building for a new cycle. We’re looking forward to driving this project forward and seeing what happens.”

The men’s eight of Leander’s Will Stewart, Matt Rowe, Miles Beeson and Archie Drummond along with Fergus Woolnough, David Bewicke-Copley, Sam Nunn, Matt Aldridge and cox Will Denegri recorded a British record as they left it to the last strokes after a back and forth tussle, to take gold ahead of the Netherlands.

Speaking after the win, Beeson said: “It was one of the most fun races I’ve ever been a part of. We knew we had a lot of ground to make up from the heat and we just really committed to the changes we wanted to make and it’s just very exciting that we can achieve that in a few days.”

Stewart added: “It was a really good race and I’m proud of the boys as well. We put in a lot of work and felt like we could really commit and trust ourselves to deliver the best performance we could today.”

GB also secured gold in the women’s single sculls.

On the Saturday Great Britain secured gold in the PR1 men’s single sculls and silver in the PR3 mixed double sculls.

Leander’s Eleanor Brinkhoff, along with Megan Slabbert, secured bronze in the women’s pair while the women’s four of Leander’s Lauren Irwin and Heidi Long along with Daisy Bellamy and Martha Birtles also secured a third place finish.