Rebecca Romero retires from Rowing

World champion and Olympic silver medallist Rebecca Romero, a leading member of the women's squad at Leander, has announced her retirement from rowing.

Last July she suffered a back strain during preparations for Lucerne regatta and was unable to compete in the GB women's quad scull in which she had already helped gain the gold medals at the World Cup regattas earlier in the season at Eton and Munich. In her absence the crew had to make do with the silver medal, but Rebecca appeared fully fit in time for the world championships in Japan where the GB quad triumphed once again.

However her back problems recurred during winter training and despite rehabilitation the problem meant that she has been unable to train in a boat, and has missed all the important GB trials on the water over the last several months. She has therefore made the decision to retire from rowing and will not now be a member of the GB squad preparing for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Rebecca started rowing in 1997 and gained her first senior vest in 2001. Her competitive career has included the following successes:

Report by Leander press officer Robert Treharne Jones

ENDS