Stewart Innes

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

A fourth-place finish at the GB Rowing Team Trials earned Innes and Alan Sinclair selection in the men’s pair for the 2016 European Championships in Brandenburg, where they won a silver medal. Illness forced them to miss the Lucerne World Cup but they returned to action in Poznan and won a hard-fought bronze medal, edging out fellow Brits Nathaniel Reilly-O’Donnell and Mat Tarrant.

Innes and Sinclair were then named as the GB men’s pair for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Runners-up in both their heat and semi-final, they were firmly in medal contention throughout a well-contested final but were narrowly edged out into fourth place – still an impressive achievement on their Olympic debuts.

In 2015 Innes was a surprise inclusion to the GB Rowing Team for the European Championships in Poznan but made the most of his opportunity, helping the men’s eight take silver behind Germany.

He retained his place for the World Cup in Varese and helped GB overhaul Germany in the closing stages to claim a thrilling victory by just two-tenths of a second.

Innes formed a second GB men’s pair with Ollie Cook for the Lucerne World Cup, finishing second in the B final and eighth overall, before earning selection for the World Rowing Championships men’s four. He, Sinclair, Tom Ransley and Scott Durant produced a fine performance to win a well-deserved bronze medal.

He was selected for the 2013 World Rowing U23 Championships in Linz, Austria, and rowed in the heats of the men’s quad sculls but missed the semi-finals and final through illness.

A student at Reading University, Innes won men’s single scull bronze for Britain at the 2014 World University Rowing Championships in Gravelines, France.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

He earned his first GB vest in 2008 when he competed at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Linz, finishing 16th in the men’s pair.

He won gold in the men’s four and bronze in the men’s pair at the following year’s Munich Junior International Regatta before helping the eight to a silver medal at the 2009 World Rowing Junior Championships in Brive.

Innes also raced in the men’s quad sculls at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships in Amsterdam where Britain finished runners-up in the C final.

A self-confessed “keen reeler who loves to do the rock and roll”, Stewart is studying part-time for a master’s degree in diplomacy at Reading University – his post-rowing career aspiration is to serve in the diplomatic service.

Away from rowing and studying, he enjoys walking at the weekends “if not too tired”, playing video games and watching TV.  His favourite programme is Game of Thrones, while his movie choice is Into the Wild.

The sportsperson he would swap places with is Lewis Hamilton and his three ideal dinner-party guests are Karl Marx, Richard Nixon and his grandfather.

Innes is Lottery funded through UK Sport.