Oli Wilkes

Rower // Men's Squad
Club: Oxford Brookes University BC
Hometown: Matlock, Derbyshire

Oli Wilkes profile image

Prior to starting rowing at university Oli was a competitive swimmer and raced against Adam Peaty as he was on his way to becoming world beating (they were both based in Derbyshire).

During that time, Oli beat Adam at freestyle but was nowhere near him at breaststroke which may or may not have led to Oli switching to rowing.

Oli studied a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering at the University of Liverpool, and a masters in sustainable energy systems at the University of Edinburgh.

Breaking into the senior squad, Oli raced in the men’s pair at World Cup II in 2021 and was selected as a non travelling reserve for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was selected in the Men’s four at the start of the 2022 season, but his dreams were cut short as he caught Covid in Belgrade before the start of World Cup I and watched his crew mates win gold from his quarantine hotel room, spending the rest of the season back as a reserve. He fought his way back into the Men’s four in the 2023 season maintaining the crews unbeaten run. He has much fonder memories of Belgrade in 2023 as he became World Champion and qualified the boat for Paris 2024.

Oli is extremely pround to have won the bronze medal with David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson in the Men’s four at the 2024 Olympic Rowing Regatta in Paris.

Visit our 2024 Olympic Regatta hub

Oli loves being outdoors and hopes to do lots of mountain biking after rowing.

On The Water

GB Competitive Record

Year Event Result Boat
2024 Olympic Rowing Regatta
Paris, FRA
M4-
2024 World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
M4-
2024 European Rowing Championships
Szeged, HUN
M4-
2024 World Rowing Cup I
Varese, ITA
M4-
2023 World Rowing Championships
Belgrade, SRB
M4-
2023 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
M4-
2023 World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA
M4-
2023 European Rowing Championships
Bled, SLO
M4-
2021 World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
4 M2-
2017 World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
BM4+
Year:
2024
Event:
Olympic Rowing Regatta
Paris, FRA
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2024
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2024
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Szeged, HUN
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2024
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Varese, ITA
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2023
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Belgrade, SRB
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2023
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2023
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2023
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Bled, SLO
Result:
Boat:
M4-
Year:
2021
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
Result:
4
Boat:
M2-
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
Result:
Boat:
BM4+