Meet the Team: Mat Tarrant
This week two-time World Champion Mat Tarrant is in the hot seat
For this week’s Meet the Team, we caught up with two-time World Champion Mat Tarrant on RowElite, engineering and inspiring the next generation of rowers.
What do you love most about rowing?
The racing – we train all year and depending on your boat class you may only race on the international circuit eight times!
When did you first start rowing?
I started rowing in 2005 at Weybridge Rowing Club.
How did you get into rowing for GB?
For me, pure chance! Weybridge hired their first paid coach Paul Wilcox in 2007 who noticed the scores I was able to produce on the ergo and due to his contacts managed to get me a spot at the first trials in Boston and it went on from there.
What’s the best thing about being part of the GB team?
Being in a position to hopefully inspire and motivate the next generation of rowers.
What’s the biggest challenge?
The selection process. Every year we have to compete against each other to ultimately decide who gets to keep their job. It can be pretty cut throat.
What are your career highlights?
I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple highlights during my time. The first would be Winning U23 worlds in 2012 followed by winning my first Senior Worlds in 2014.
What advice do you wish you could give your younger self?
I’d just tell my younger self to be more confident. It took me far too long to have confidence in myself and the performances I was capable of.
How did you react to the Olympic and Paralympic postponement?
To be honest I wasn’t surprised, it’s another year to get fitter, stronger and tougher.
How are you finding training in lockdown?
It hasn’t been too bad. I spent the first two months living and training by myself but recently moved back in with the family and it makes a huge difference having humans around you and garden to train in rather than a stuffy flat.
Other than training, how else have you been spending your time during lockdown?
Training still takes up most of the day but I’ve actually been really busy! The days have flown by! I’ve been working on lots of projects at my company RowElite which is exciting and I’m learning a lot!
What would you be doing if you weren’t a rower?
My background is in Engineering and Construction so I’d love to be doing something hands on.
