Mark Banks was appointed Chief Coach at Leander Club in 2000 and was also appointed Director of Rowing in 2010
Mark started coaching in 1986 at Nottingham and Union Rowing Club after injury forced him to end his own competitive rowing career. He gained his first international coaching experience at the Junior World Championships and coached the GB Junior gold medal four in 1989 - the following year he was appointed the national Chief Coach for Juniors.
In 1998 Mark coached the junior women's double of Frances Houghton and Debbie Flood to a bronze and the following year they became World Under-23 champions. Under Mark’s guidance Debbie went on to repeat this feat in the Under-23 single scull in 2000.
Mark manages to combine his club coaching role with his international duties. In 2004 he coached the women's quad to a fine silver medal at the Athens Olympics, and four years later he coached the GB men's eight to an equally impressive silver in Beijing.
In 2009 Mark coached the GB men's four to the gold medal at the World Championships in Poznan. For the last two years he has been in charge of the GB men's quad scull, which finished in 5th place at the World Championships in New Zealand and a year later qualified for London 2012 with 7th place on Lake Bled.
Link to biography on British Rowing website
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