Tokyo 2020 Silver Medallist Jack Beaumont retires from international rowing

Jack Beaumont, winner of a historic silver medal in the Men’s Quad at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is retiring from international rowing

Jack Beaumont, winner of a historic silver medal in the Men’s Quad at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is retiring from international rowing. Beaumont made his GB Rowing Team debut in 2010 and is well established as one of the UK’s best scullers.

Jack, the son of Olympic rower Peter Beaumont, has been on quite a journey in his time with the GB Rowing Team. In 2015, he was involved in a serious accident at a training camp in Portugal which left him with several fractured vertebrae in his back, a torn hip flexor and worrying he may never walk again. He spent many months out of the boat in rehab and recovered well only to narrowly miss out on selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics team, making the list as a non-travelling spare.

Four days before the start of the Rio 2016 Games, Beaumont was called up and flew out to Brazil to replace Graeme Thomas who had been taken ill. He made his Olympic debut in the Quad in Rio, finishing in fifth place. Five years later he realised his dream with Tokyo 2020 Team GB selection and was part of the Quad crew which picked up Great Britain’s first ever medal in that boat class.

Explaining his decision to leave, Jack said: “Winning the medal in Tokyo was just the most amazing feeling. I still get goosebumps when I talk about it. I feel satisfied and content with where I’ve got to in my international rowing career, and feel like now is the right time to move on. I still love rowing and want to enjoy the sport as a hobby, as I’m still very passionate about it. I would like to thank all of my coaches and support staff in the GB team, my fantastic team mates, and the British Rowing community for always backing me. I would also like to thank everybody at Leander Club, Maidenhead Rowing Club and Borlase Boat Club.

“I want to stay involved in the sport and am going to come along to as many international competitions as I can to throw my support behind the GB Rowing Team. I’m now looking for a full-time job and very excited about what comes next!”

Paul Stannard, lead coach for Men’s Sculling at British Rowing said: “I have worked with Jack for over ten years including the Junior World Rowing Championships in 2011 and memorably the Youth Olympics in Sydney in January 2013 where Jack won a medal in all three boat classes that he raced in including Gold in the single.

“I was on the training camp where Jack was injured and worked with him at the Rio Games where he flew out at the very last minute to sub into the men’s quad, so, all in all, we had been through quite a lot together before covid and the postponed Tokyo Games.

“Jack returned to centralised training after the lockdown with a renewed vigour and purpose and was a key figure in the crew not just in Tokyo but most importantly in the training leading up to it. I am delighted to see Jack so happy with his result and to see the excitement he has for the next chapter in his life as he transitions into the world of work. Whoever is fortunate enough to hire Jack will have a driven, enthusiastic member of their team who will get the best out of those around him. I wish Jack all the best for the future and look forward to seeing him supporting the team in the years to come.”