Frances Houghton

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

Frances switched from sculling to sweep for the 2016 season and earned selection in the women’s eight. She helped to secure an eye-catching gold at the European Championships in Brandenburg, with GB surging through to take the victory in a perfectly-judged race. Another thrilling late push at the Lucerne World Cup saw the GB eight go mighty close to overhauling the Olympic and World Champions from the United States and they won silver again at the World Cup in Poznan, this time behind New Zealand.

No British women’s eight had won an Olympic medal before but Frances and her crew-mates ended that wait at Rio 2016 as they took silver in a photo-finish after an epic race that featured another trademark surge through the field in the second half.

Frances started the 2015 season in the women’s single scull, where she finished tenth at the European Championships in Poznan but had to miss the World Cup in Varese on medical grounds.

She completed the season in the quadruple scull alongside Melanie Wilson, Tina Stiller and Jess Leyden. They finished sixth at the Lucerne World Cup and eighth at the World Championships in Aiguebelette, narrowly missing out on qualifying the boat for the Rio Olympic Games at the first attempt.

Frances had spent 2013 and 2014 in the women’s double scull, partnering Vicki Meyer-Laker during the first season. The World Cup regattas saw them win bronze in Sydney and gold in Eton Dorney before placing fifth in Lucerne. They went on to finish just outside the medals at the World Championships in Chungju.

Vicky Thornley joined Frances in the double in 2014 and they finished fifth at both the European Championships in Belgrade and World Cup in Aiguebelette. However, illness then brought Frances’ season to a premature halt.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

London 2012 was the fourth Olympic Games of Frances’ career and came 17 years after her first appearance in GB colours.

After winning silver in the women’s quad at the Beijing 2008 Games, Frances took a year out and then had to undergo hip surgery on her return to the team. However, she recovered in time to win a fourth World Championship quad gold alongside Annie Vernon, Debbie Flood and Beth Rodford in New Zealand in 2010.

After starting 2011 with bronze in the quad at the Munich World Cup, injury again affected Frances’ season but she was able to compete in the single scull at the World Championships in Bled, finishing a fine fourth.

Frances returned to the quad for 2012 and won bronze medals at both the Belgrade and Munich World Cups. She was selected for her fourth Olympic Games and finished sixth alongside Melanie Wilson, Debbie Flood and Beth Rodford.

Frances is celebrating 20 years since she first became a member of the GB Rowing Team, having joined the junior ranks in 1995. If she could swap places with another sportsperson, it would be with “one of those young ones that still have it all ahead of them”.

She has a great love of food and cooking. During a year out from rowing in 2008-9, she spent three months training to be a professional cook at Ballymaloe Cookery School. She then went on to work both as a private cook for a family and at the popular London restaurant, Ottolenghi.

Since returning to rowing Frances has designed a cookery course for athletes who ‘can’t cook, won’t cook’. Her perfect post-competition meal is scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted rye bread with loads of veg and the three things she would take to a desert island are a foraging guide, a decent knife and a plate. Her pet hate is inefficiency and queuing, “especially when it culminates in a buffet that doesn’t use both sides of the table – one dish, two spoons, two queues, half the time.”

Frances – who has a degree in Spanish from Kings College, London – loves to escape to Cornwall. “It’s beautiful and the cream is delicious.” Perhaps unsurprisingly her current favourite TV programme is Poldark and her ideal dinner guest would be Ross Poldark – “does anyone else have to come?”

Frances is Lottery funded through UK Sport.