News

Posted: 02 June 2025

The GB Rowing Team started the new Olympiad with a bang as they travelled to Plovdiv, Bulgaria to race at the 2025 European Rowing Championships, topping the overall medal table with a total of six Gold medals.

Image shows eight rowers plus their cox celebrating their gold medal win in the M8+. They are all in navy and white GB racing kit and are holding the GB flag and some have ceremonial flowers in hand.

Photo credit: Benedict Tufnell | British Rowing

Image shows the medal table from the European Chamionships, with GB winning the most medals: 6 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

Credit: World Rowing

In the last race of the Championships, thanks to a barnstorming finish, Aberdeen Schools’ RA graduate Miles Beeson and Archie Drummond (Leander Club) took the Gold Medal in the Men’s Eight, a mere two-tenths of a second ahead of the Dutch crew. With both athletes racing at their first European Championships, they’ve made a real statement at the start of the LA 2028 Olympic Cycle. 

Miles, who was a part of GB Rowing’s Project LA group which raced at World Cup III last year in Poznan, said “Racing at my first senior championship event was an incredible experience that really reminded me why I love this sport so much. The level of competition was so high that we had to be very purposeful with our approach to the races and be ready to develop through the regatta. We learned a lot after the heat and I’m proud of how we applied that to the final. Our eight is still a relatively new crew and now we’re really excited to see how we can step on for the rest of the season.”

Image shows Miles Beeson in the forefront, in his GB racing kit. All athletes look happy and excited.

Photo credit: Benedict Tufnell | British Rowing

Dundee University BC graduate Eleanor Brinkhoff (Leander Club) managed to bring home not one, but two medals from Plovdiv by following up her Bronze Medal performance on Saturday in the Women’s Pair with partner Megan Slabbert (Molesey BC), by winning the Gold Medal in the Women’s Eight on Sunday in another mature race which saw GB overturn the Netherlands in the second half of the race.

Image shows Eleanor facing the camera, in the bow seat in a yellow boat with her 2- partner, both athletes are in their GB all in ones holding their bronze medals.

Photo credit: Benedict Tufnell | British Rowing

Three time Scotland International and former George Watson’s College BC student, Izzy Clements, now studying and rowing with Edinburgh University BC was yet another debutant at the European Championships, as she raced in the Lightweight Women’s Single Scull for Ireland – finishing fourth overall in a tightly packed field in her first international regatta.

Image shows Izzy racing in a green and white single scull. She is wearing a racing all in one and sunglasses and is captured in the catch position.

Photo credit: Detlev Seyb | World Rowing

We look forward to seeing all of these athletes continue their successes (and more!) throughout the remainder of the season ahead of the Senior World Championships in Shanghai later this year as well as the age group Championships across Lithuania, Poland and Germany.