Avon’s Finnola Stratton wins bronze at Under-23 World Rowing Championships

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Avon County Rowing Club’s Finnola Stratton helped her country win a bronze medal at the 2024 Under-23 World Rowing Championships. Teaming up with Meg Knight, Lily Abbott, and Ellie Cooke, Stratton was part of a crew that narrowly missed setting a new world record for the under-23 quad sculls event.

Reflecting on the race, Stratton said: "We knew a medal was possible from the moment we got in the boat in July, but you can never be certain until you cross the finish line." Romania and Poland took the top two spots, both breaking the previous under-23 world best time, while the British crew finished just a second behind.

Stratton’s rise through the sport has been remarkable. She began sculling at Avon County Rowing Club in Saltford under coaches Penny Senior and Chris Hopper. A Wellsway School pupil at the time, she made her first outing at the club by crashing into a moored narrowboat, but she quickly progressed, setting a world record for the 100m sprint on a rowing machine for her age group.

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Stratton added: "The standard of rowing was phenomenal, and I am so proud to have competed at such a high-level event. Making even a small mistake could have cost us a medal, so our focus was on holding onto third place, especially in those last 20 strokes."