Paralympic Champions Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson crowned Para Crew of the Year at World Rowing Awards
Fulham Reach BC were revealed as the Rowing Programme of the Year, and Olympian Artist Annabel Eyres won the Artistic Contribution of the Year Award at a glittering ceremony in Seville, Spain on 9 November
Mark Davies, Adam Freeman-Pask, Lauren Rowles MBE, Annabel Eyres, Rosie Mayglothling, Alastair Horn (Photo: Angus McChesney)
The World Rowing Awards celebrate the very best in the sport, and recognise the ‘first among equals’ on the global stage. Great Britain had more finalists this year than any other country, with the Men’s Eight shortlisted for Men’s Crew of the Year, the Women’s Quadruple Sculls for Women’s Crew of the Year, PR1 Single Sculler Benjamin Pritchard for Para Crew of the Year, and Nick Baker and Darren Whiter for Coach of the Year.
Para Crew of the Year: Lauren Rowles, Gregg Stevenson, PR2 Mixed Double Sculls
Lauren and Gregg won the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls at the Paralympic Games Regatta in Paris this summer in truly superb style. Having established themselves as the crew to beat, they produced a phenomenal last 500m to row through from second place to win.
The crew has been unbeaten since their first race together at the European Championships, and for Lauren this was the culmination of an unbeaten streak since the World Rowing Championships in 2019.
In their two years of racing together, Lauren and Gregg have set numerous new World Best Times for the event, most recently in their heat at Paris 2024. They also hold the World Championships best time, set in 2023.
Nick Baker Paralympic Head Coach said, “Lauren and Gregg were an unbeaten combination during their two season partnership. They were a true team, supporting each other far beyond the bounds of the boat and competition. Gregg showed inspirational resilience, returning to the team in such dominant fashion after an injury stopped his campaign for selection in the Tokyo cycle. Lauren is now the most successful Paralympian in rowing since the sport was introduced to the Paralympics in 2008 and the most impressive athlete I’ve ever come across. A well deserved award for this incredible duo.”
Rowing Programme of the Year: Fulham Reach Boat Club
The comprehensive judging criteria for this new award for clubs, universities or schools spans competitive achievement – including recognition of athletes’ achievements, program development – including qualifications, experience, and achievements of the coaching staff, community engagement, and commitment to promote the sport of rowing.
Fulham Reach BC CEO Adam Freeman-Pask, who received the award along with the club’s Chief of Operations Alastair Horn, said, “It is fantastic to be recognised with the inaugural World Rowing Programme of the Year. At Fulham Reach we take a holistic approach to using our wonderful sport of rowing for good across youth development, crime reduction, adaptive and the environment! We aim to keep innovating and inspiring how we can give more people the unique benefits rowing can bring such as physical and mental health, personal development such as teamwork, confidence and leadership, as well as community cohesion and connection to the environment.”
Artistic Contribution of the Year: Annabel Eyres OLY
This new award celebrates the intersection between creativity and sport, and is for a work of art – including visual arts, still or moving images and literature – created in the past year that reflects the spirit and beauty of rowing.
Annabel Eyres finished fifth in the Women’s Double Sculls at Barcelona 1992, having funded her international rowing through her design-driven rowing kit business. Her artistic career has gone from strength to strength since then, which meant that she was an ideal choice to be selected as one of the six Olympian Artists for Paris 2024, artists who had previously competed as athletes at an Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Annabel said, “I’m deeply honoured to be the recipient of the inaugural Artistic Contribution of the Year award. It is inspiring that World Rowing is furthering the work of the Olympic Museum in recognising the vital role creativity and art play in representing and promoting sport.
“Acknowledging the link between ‘muscles and mind’ was an important part of the vision that Baron de Coubertin had in founding of the modern Olympic Games. In his poem Ode to Sport he wrote, ‘There can be no beauty without balance and proportion, and you are the peerless master of both, for you create harmony, you give movements rhythm, you make strength graceful and you endow suppleness with power.’ I’m sure that all rowers can all agree that he is describing our beautiful sport, which has been my life-long inspiration, to perfection!”
The winners are pictured at the award ceremony with British Rowing Chair and World Rowing Indoor Commission member Mark Davies, and World Rowing Executive Committee Member Rosie Mayglothling.
