Leander captain heads New Year rowing honours

31 December 2008: Double Olympic gold medallist Steve Williams is one of five Leander members to receive honours in recognition of the GB team performance in Beijing.

Williams, who gained his first Olympic title as a member of the GB men's four in Athens, was created MBE four years ago, and has now been awared an OBE after winning gold again in Beijing in the same boat category.

All six of Great Britain's Olympic rowing gold medallists have been honoured today. Williams' crewmates in the four - fellow Leander member Pete Reed, together with Tom James and Andy Triggs-Hodge of Molesey - all receive MBEs.

Former Leander captain Mark Hunter and his partner Zac Purchase of Marlow were unbeaten throughout the 2008 World Cup season and went on to win gold in the lightweight men's double scull in Beijing. The winners of Britain's first-ever lightweight Olympic medal also receive MBEs.

The fourth Leander member to receive an award is GB Rowing's Performance Director, David Tanner, who has been made a CBE.

The former school headmaster and rowing coach has been the ARA's International Manager and Performance Director since 1996 and was appointed an OBE for services to rowing in the Queen's Birthday honours in 2003.

The Leander honours haul was completed with an MBE for Rebecca Romero, the athlete who won Olympic silver in the women's quad in Athens, only to leave the sport of rowing after winning the world title in Japan a year later. Her aptitude for cycling was quickly realised as she gained the world title, followed by the gold medal in the women's individual pursuit in Beijing. In so doing she became the first British woman to win medals in successive Olympics in different sports

ENDS