Leander athletes help deliver standout GB performance at Europeans
Great Britain’s squads delivered a series of strong performances at the European Rowing Championships on Lago di Varese, with multiple Leander athletes contributing to medal‑winning results and significant progress across the programme. From a gold‑medal senior debut in the Men’s Four to a European title in the Women’s Four and a silver for the Women’s Eight, the regatta provided clear indicators of momentum as crews continue their preparations for the World Rowing Championships later this month.
Strong Senior Debut for Men’s Four
The Men’s Four delivered an outstanding senior debut performance, winning both their heat and the A Final. An all-Leander line-up of Theo Bell, Sam Ford, Josh Brangan, and Tom O’Sullivan held off a late challenge from Romania to secure gold in 05:43.38, beating Romania’s 2023 time by 0.7 seconds. All four athletes were racing for Great Britain at senior level for the first time, following a season spent studying and competing in the United States.
Brangan, a double U23 World Champion, said the crew had “stepped up over the past few weeks” and that the result “was a very good day.”
European Title for Women’s Four
The Women’s Four – Holly Youd, Angharad Broughton, Sarah Marshall, and Eleanor Brinkhoff (Leander Club) – won gold after leading their A Final from the start. Germany mounted a strong finish, but Great Britain maintained control throughout. For Youd, Broughton, and Marshall, this marks their first senior win; Leander Club’s Brinkhoff adds a second European title to her record after last year’s victory in the Women’s Eight.
Silver for Women’s Eight
The British Women’s Eight secured silver behind Romania, the 2024 Olympic Champions. After recording the fastest time ever by a British Women’s Eight in their Preliminary Race, the all-Leander crew – Lizzie Witt, Megan Slabbert, Amelia Standing, Katherine George, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart, Heidi Long, Annie Campbell‑Orde, and cox Jack Tottem – established themselves in second place early and held off Italy throughout.
George described the race as “a good opportunity to test what we have been working on” during their extended training block.
Women’s Quad Place Fourth
The Women’s Quad – Lola Anderson (Leander Club), Imogen Grant, Hannah Scott (Leander Club), and Becky Wilde (Leander Club) – finished fourth in their A Final. The crew is currently in the middle of a training camp ahead of the World Rowing Championships. After winning their heat, they progressed to a final featuring Switzerland, Germany, and Romania, with Switzerland taking gold.
Grant noted that other crews “have stepped on and given us a new marker to chase,” adding that the squad will use the coming weeks to refine their preparations for the World Championships.
Women’s Double Finish Fifth After Recovering from Crab
The Women’s Double Scull showed significant improvement from their ninth‑place finish at World Rowing Cup III. Cam Nyland and Sarah McKay placed fifth in the A Final, despite catching a crab with 600m remaining. They finished four seconds behind Switzerland, with the Individual Neutral Athletes taking gold ahead of Greece and Lithuania.
Nyland said the crew executed their race plan well and responded quickly after the crab. McKay added that their reaction “showed a lot about ourselves when things didn’t quite go our way.”
Twelfth Overall for Jamie Gare in Men’s Single Scull
Leander’s Jamie Gare finished twelfth overall in the Men’s Single Scull. Racing in a headwind during the B Final, he was unable to stay with the pack chasing Norway’s Jonas Juel, who led from start to finish. Gare entered the event at short notice and noted that the conditions exposed areas still under development.
These results mark a strong step forward for Great Britain’s squads as preparations intensify ahead of the World Rowing Championships later this month.
Photos thanks to British Rowing and Benedict Tuffnell
