Superstar rowing students bring home a huge haul

Hard-working students balancing rowing with revision will have extra motivation for their upcoming exams after winning big at the largest University rowing competition in the UK. 

72 universities and more than 2,600 students took part in three days of racing at the British Universities & Colleges Sport Regatta in April. 

Reading University Boat Club (RUBC) returned from Nottingham with an outstanding haul of 12 medals, including four gold, two silver and six bronze.  

Will Rand, RUBC’s Director of Rowing, said: “All the students and coaches have worked so hard all year to make these results possible, it’s amazing to see that dedication pay off.

“Students have to get up very early and train for long hours while working hard on their exams and coursework. It’s really tough, but these challenges develop skills which will really help shape their careers and their lives. They’re a great bunch who deserve all their success.”

National recognition

RUBC’s medal haul comes as RUBC star Ed Fuller was chosen to represent the British Rowing para mixed coxed four at the European Rowing Championships in Slovenia between 25 and 28 May. 

This is not the only national recognition RUBC has received this month, as two Club members were called up to represent British Rowing in Germany earlier in May. 

Louis Powell and Sol Hewitt raced in the U23 Men’s Double Sculls and the U23 Men’s Quadruple Sculls at the International Wedau Regatta in Duisburg over the weekend of 13 and 14 May. 

Selection for the Regatta put the rowing stars on a special pathway to potentially representing Team GB at future Olympic Games. 

Looking further into the future, several members of the Reading University Boat Club will compete at Henley Royal Regatta, which takes place between Tuesday, 27 June and Sunday, 2 July. 

New starts at Reading

Among the many RUBC students who have shown great perseverance to succeed in rowing are Finnola Straton and Kabir Bedi. 

Finnola, a 19-year-old, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics student, previously rowed at Avon County Rowing Club but came to Reading partly because of its stellar rowing reputation. She won two gold medals and a silver medal at the BUCS Regatta and achieved this while studying hard and working as a recruitment officer on the RUBC committee. 

Management school undergraduate Kabir Bedi is originally from Kenya, where he was a high-performing swimming junior. There is no swimming pool at Reading, so he joined the boat club in his second year after searching for another sport he could commit to. Kabir has worked hard and made fantastic development in the men’s intermediate squad.