Trials winners crowned and Paris and development performances recognised

The culmination of the GB men’s and women’s senior and Under 23 squad trials took place from 11-13 April at the National Training Centre, Caversham

With athletes racing in pairs and doubles for the first time, across time trials, semi finals and into finals, it was a jam-packed weekend of exciting racing.

The winners included a good mix of returning Paris 2024 Olympians and ‘Project LA’ athletes making a claim for crew places in the 2025 season.

In the pairs racing, James Vogel and Archie Drummond won the Men’s A final, with Paris Women’s eight bronze medallists Lauren Irwin and Eve Stewart crossing the finish line first in the Women’s A final.

Olympic Champions Lauren Henry and Lola Anderson were victorious in the Women’s double sculls final with GB Performance Development Academy alumni Cedol Dafydd and Callum Dixon, who also raced at Paris 2024, winning the Men’s double sculls final.

Results of Finals

Dame Katherine Grainger made the presentations at the prizegiving after the racing where the success of the squad at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games was also celebrated with blades handed to medal winning athletes, coaches, and other support staff.

BOA Athlete of the Year trophies were also presented to the inspirational athletes who best promote the Team GB values of Pride, Unity, Responsibility and Respect.

“This is very special and it means a lot to win this trophy after the experience of 2024. We worked so hard and it was such a special project, which became a real dream come true.” – Becky Wilde

The BOA Female Olympic Athlete of the Year was Becky Wilde, recognised for her meteoric 2025 season, breaking into the senior squad, performance at the final Olympic Qualification Regatta and bronze medal in Paris in the Women’s double sculls. Becky’s achievements were hailed as a triumph over a series of challenges and recognised as an inspiration to athletes of the future, bringing great credit to herself, the GB Rowing Team and Team GB.

The BOA Male Olympic Athlete of the Year was Harry Brightmore, Olympic champion cox of the Men’s eight. Harry was recognised for his contribution to our sport and his impact on the wider community. As a cox, Harry worked hard to earn the respect of athletes and coaches alike, uniting the crew of eight men in front of him whilst serving the wider needs of the team. He played a pivotal role in supporting the coaches to deliver their vision, reinforcing their message and holding up standards within the men’s team.

The final awards of the day, the Mark Lees Development Athletes of the Year, were presented to Jenny Bates and Jake Wincomb. Jenny was recognised for her successful performances and for being conscientious, brave and bringing joy to others, both athletes and coaches. Jake was credited for his outstanding 2024 season and talents as an all-round sweeper, demonstrated this season where as part of the Caversham men’s squad he has swapped sides successfully from his traditional bowside to strokeside.

Athlete Quotes

Men’s Pairs Winners, Archie Drummond and James Vogel

Archie: “It was intense but fun to get out there and have our first side by side racing of the season.  I’m one of the newer athletes here and it’s my first senior season, so everything is exciting for me still even training in the building everyday, I feel massively privileged and it still has that new school feeling for me, I’m enjoying every day, trying to take it all in and learn from the other guys in the team.”

James: “Archie and I work well together and we’re excited to start the racing season. We’ve got a great summer ahead of us with new guys, Olympic medalists and everyone is looking to learn from each other, listening and working with open ears and a great attitude. Even though it’s a new Olympiad and there are changes from the last cycle, we’re coming in with just as much intent, cooperation, morale, camaraderie and teamwork which will act as building blocks for the next four years and hopefully we can repeat what the guys in the last cycle did.”

Women’s Pairs Winners: Lauren Irwin and Eve Stewart

Lauren: “We’re happy with that. The regatta has been intense, but the whole squad has performed so competitively well so it’s a very proud moment for us.  Coming back from Paris it’s still early and we don’t get much opportunity to race and to win races, so this is the first really fun part of the year. The hard block is the winter training so it’s nice to get started with some side by side racing.”

Eve: “We obviously have the Paris experience so came into trials with high expectations of ourselves but have eaten humble pie a few times this weekend as the squad have stepped on and on to really push us. So it has meant a lot to beat these really fast pairs in this environment. I’ve really been having fun here the past few weeks and we feel so motivated to get the season underway.”

Men’s Double Sculls Winners, Cedol Dafydd and Callum Dixon

Cedol: “It’s the most exciting race I’ve had so far in my career and I have huge respect for the rest of the squad as it was a very close finish. I am happy to see how crew formations pan out and I’ll take whatever seat I can, to get me to the World Championships in September!”

Callum: “It feels like the new season and new year is well underway now. We have a week of crew formations before we start international racing at the end of May. We have real faith and belief in what we are building here for the next four years. Racing in the double with Cedol has been a great experience!”

Women’s Double Sculls Winners, Lola Anderson and Lauren Henry

Lauren: “I’m very pleased, and glad to get the job done at trials, especially to win the race with Lola. There’s more testing next week and I’m excited to see what happens this season – it’s a new chapter in the book!”

Lola: “The build up to Paris was years of hard work for all of us and achieving that goal took time to process, so I’ve had a bit of time out to think about it and recover. I’ve come back into a new team with energy and excitement and look forward to the season ahead.”

Photos: David Pearce Photographer.