All-female team triumph in World's Toughest Row

Sharks, towering waves, broken oars and calloused hands.

These were just some of the many obstacles faced by the Army's first all-female Force Atlantic team during a 3,000-mile rowing challenge.

The team took part in the annual World's Toughest Row, which sees competitors row from the Canary Islands to Antigua.

For more than six weeks, Imogen "Imy" O'Brien, Becca Glover, Sheri Lucas and Emma Gibb called their 8.5m rowboat "Rosie" home.

Setting off from San Sebastián on 11 December, the team took 46 days and 55 minutes to reach Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua on 26 January.

They finished second in the Women's Class and in 18th place overall.

For Ms O'Brien, the skipper, it was the final moments of the journey that stick in her mind.

She said: "It was a Biblical storm, I've never seen rain like it, I've never felt wind like it.

"It just highlighted the whole trip and how difficult it was that, less than a nautical mile away from the finish line, we nearly didn't finish because we were being blown past the exit."

When they stepped on to land, they were greeted by family and friends, who Ms O'Brien said "had sacrificed so much to support us to achieve this".

"I've never felt emotion like it," she said. "I wish we could just bottle and keep it, the ending was wild."

"A wild adventure, the hardest thing that I've ever done. It took a lot, it took teamwork, it took resilience, it took problem solving.

"But we're glad that it was difficult, that added in the depth we needed and we stand here today hoping to inspire others that they can go on and achieve anything they want to achieve."

Speaking during a talk with students at Reading College, in Berkshire, Emma Gibb said she hoped her team's work could inspire young people to chase their dreams.

"Hopefully it just gives them that feeling of just never give up and just go for what you want to go for and challenge yourself," she said.

"We are a minority and, if anything, we want to show women there are so many opportunities.

"Hopefully people can relate and just see that actually we're just a group of four women, we had an idea, we had this culture and all these values and we brought it to life."

Reading College student Callum, 19, said meeting the rowers had certainly inspired him.

He said: "It really emphasized the importance of team work and how that links to problem solving and how that can be applied to not just rowing but so many more areas.

"It really just made me realise that if you can trust your team and your team can trust you, you really can get anything done."

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