Rory Gibbs retires from the GB Rowing Team
Olympic and two-time World Champion Rory Gibbs is retiring from the GB Rowing Team
Photo: Steve McArthur/Row360
Rory’s rowing journey began as an 18-year-old at Millfield School in 2012. It was the school’s newly launched boat club that inspired him to give rowing a try. This initial spark was further ignited at Oxford Brookes University, where he honed his skills and laid the foundation for his career.
He made his senior GB Rowing Team debut in 2019, competing in the Men’s four (M4-) alongside Oli Cook, Matt Rossiter, and Sholto Carnegie. Together, they captured European gold that year. The crew became double European champions in 2021 and finished fourth at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
For the Paris Olympiad, Rory transitioned to the Men’s eight (M8+). Under the guidance of coach Steve Trapmore, the crew achieved an extraordinary record, winning gold at 11 out of 12 international events. Rory retires as a Paris 2024 Olympic Champion, two-time World Champion, and five-time European Champion.
Off the water, Rory offers public speaking and channels his passion for mentoring aspiring rowers through his online coaching platform. He has also just launched an at-home rowing-focused fitness channel called ‘Rowkouts’ on YouTube, where you can follow along to workouts for free. Reflecting on his rowing career, Rory said: “Rowing is a gruelling sport. It’s eat, sleep, row, repeat. Day in and day out, you’re hammering the nail in pursuit of the ultimate goal. The last 10 years have been tough but incredibly rewarding. I’m immensely grateful for the guidance, support, lessons, failures, successes, memories, and friendships I’ve gained along the way.”
Paul Stannard, GB Rowing Team Men’s Olympic Head Coach said: “Rory has achieved a great deal in just 10 years in the sport. Becoming a two-time Olympian culminating in Olympic Gold within this short timeframe is something to be truly proud of. Rory has great enthusiasm for sport and life in general and I am confident that he will pour this same energy into his business which I am sure will go from strength to strength in the coming years. We wish him all the best for the future.”
