Hunt for next generation of Olympic rowers

Tall and sporty young people are being encouraged to attend a talent identification day, aimed at finding the next generation of Olympic rowing talent.

The event at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire is geared towards people aged between 14-22, with no rowing experience.

Ben Jackson, Hartpury head coach, said, you "can't teach people to have long arms and legs, but we can teach people to row".

"A lot on the programme will never have seen a rowing boat so it's for us to see if they have physical potential and see if they'll excel in the sport," Mr Jackson added.

There is height suggestion of above 5ft 8in (175cm) for females and 6ft (185cm) for males.

Being tall allows rowers to take longer strokes, providing more leverage to move the boat further with each stroke, experts have said.

Mr Jackson said recent success stories include former Hartpury student Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, who won bronze in Paris in the women's double scull with Becky Wilde, who is a graduate of the Bath and Bristol Performance Development Academy.

And Chloe Sheppard, from Tewksbury, who tried out for the academy in 2021 when she was 15.

Within two years she won bronze in the under-19s World Championships, and in September 2024 started her studies at the University of Washington on an athletic scholarship.

Mr Jackson first became involved in rowing through the same talent ID pathway back in 2009.

As well as working on rowing style machines and bikes, attendees will also introduced to the sport on the water.

The event on Sunday runs from 10:00 GMT to 14:00. Applications can be made online through British Rowing's Olympic talent testing.

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