Four Cambridge University Boat Club alumni picked up medals as Great Britain remained the top nation on the continent at last weekend’s European Rowing Championships.
Fresh from their impressive showing at the World Rowing Cup I in Italy, Team GB once again topped the team medal standings in Szeged, Hungary, with 10 across all events.
Chief among that haul were the gold medals clinched by former Peterhouse duo Ollie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George, who triumphed for the first time at championship level since moving into the men’s pair.
It was a controlled performance throughout as Wynne-Griffith and George eventually crossed the finish line 2.3 seconds clear of their Romanian counterparts.
George said: “Obviously it’s nice. It’s a good marker and a checking point. We talk about it all the time but the big one is the Olympics.
“It’s good to learn how to win and win in different ways and different conditions. Today was a good example of that. It’s amazing – we’re European Champions and that’s really cool.”
Also returning with the top prize was former Emmanuel College student Freddie Davidson after he and his crew-mates in the men’s four overcame windy conditions to triumph.
Davidson, who helped Cambridge to two Gemini Boat Race victories, said: “We’ve done quite a lot of stuff in some windy conditions in training camp so I think that helped us, but it’s obviously a different beast in six-lane racing versus just doing pieces on our own.
“I think it took quite a lot of commitment through the middle of the race to get ourselves back into it and lead it and to build our rhythm from there.
“We said after our heat we didn’t just want to sit or be satisfied, so we had a real focus of just doing our own piece and to be happy with where we were.
“I think that helped us during the long race because we had quite a simple plan. Obviously there’s still a bit to improve but it worked well for us.”
Cox Henry Fieldman, who attended Homerton College, helped the women’s eight to win silver.
The British boat finished more than three seconds adrift of winners Romania, but they did manage to get the better of the Italian crew that had beaten them at the World Rowing Cup I a fortnight earlier.
Meanwhile, Trinity College’s Imogen Grant had been due to once again partner Emily Craig in the lightweight double scull with the pair having not tasted defeat since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
However, Craig suffered a late injury and alongside new crew-mate Olivia Bates, Grant finished fourth in the final.
