Revising rowers push hard to win big at University event
22 May 2024
Reading students have returned from the UK’s largest University rowing competition after finishing second in the medals table from over 70 other Universities.
Reading University Boat Club won 15 medals overall at the British Universities and Colleges Sport Regatta 2024, a total only Oxford Brookes beat from the 73 universities that competed altogether.
Across three days of racing earlier this month in Nottingham, Reading rowers won seven gold medals, six silver medals and two bronzes. As Reading only competes in the sculling events, this haul was achieved from participation in just 26 of the 48 events.
Will Rand, Director of Rowing at the University of Reading, said: “We are incredibly proud of all of our athletes. Their success is down to their hard work and dedication at a time of the year when the pressure is on with exams taking place and coursework due. Many of our athletes came away with medals, but even more performed fantastically well to rise to the occasion and push themselves on. Without everyone stepping up we could not have achieved this amazing result.
“We were really pleased with our success last year when we won 13 medals, so to win even more this year is a huge achievement. Rowing at the University of Reading is going from strength to strength.”
Talented students
Among the talented students who competed for RUBC at BUCS 2024 - while balancing revision and coursework writing - were:
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Matt Long, a first-year Business and Spanish student who secured three of RUBC’s gold medals. Matt is the UK’s top under-23 men’s sculler.
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Ellie Cooke is the UK’s top under-23 women’s sculler. A second-year Ancient History and Archaeology student, Ellie won a gold medal and two silver medals.
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Josh Lyon, a fourth-year Business Economics student and current men’s captain, won two golds and a silver medal.
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Second-year Psychology student Zara Povey won two gold medals and a silver medal.
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RUBC president, Dan Oakeley, won two silver medals while juggling his studies as a third-year Economics student.
More to come?
Away from the BUCS Regatta, Reading rower Ed Fuller won gold at the European Rowing Championships as part of the Team GB mixed coxed four at April’s games in Hungary. Ed, a Geography undergraduate who has haemophilia, is hoping to be selected for Team GB at this summer’s Paralympic games in Paris.
Three more rowers are aiming to represent the Great Britain this summer – Matt Long, Ellie Cooke and Finnola Stratton will all compete in a warmup event in Amsterdam next month in the hope of appearing at the Under 23 World Championships in Canada at the end of August.
RUBC’s season is set to get busier in the coming weeks as many rowers compete at Henley Royal Regatta at the start of July, where many more victories are expected.
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