Six Newcastle University alumni to represent Team GB in rowing at Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Owen Younger
·3-min read
The six Newcastle University alumni representing Team GB in rowing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
-Credit: (Image: Benedict Tufnell)


Six Newcastle University alumni are set to represent Team GB in rowing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This is a record for the university, as the six alumni will join Team GB's 42 strong rowing team.

James Rudkin and Tom Ford have been named in the men's eight, Emily Ford in the women's eight, and Lola Anderson in the women's quad. Will Stewart and James Robson have also been selected in reserve to represent their country at the end of July.

On the record number of representatives, Angelo Savarino, head of rowing at Newcastle University, said: "The university is as proud of these athletes as I am.

"When I started at Newcastle University in 2005, we had ten senior men and five senior women and just one full-time rowing coach. Now, we have 40 men and 40 women, with three full-time coaches.

"The average age of an Olympic rower is 28 years old, which means at least another four-year cycle after graduation, and if you graduate halfway through an Olympic cycle, it might take six to eight years to reach that level. We had four rowers close to making the cut for 2012, which shows you the level they were at from a young age.

"All of the men and women in the team have been in the making at Newcastle University as far back as 2011. So, more rowers and coaches have translated into more athletes being selected for Team GB, along with the crucial guidance to develop the athletes while studying here."

Among the rowers in Team GB, half are competing in their first Olympic Games, while the other half are making a return, including Team GB’s only brother and sister duo, Tom and Emily Ford. The siblings competed in the Tokyo 2020 Games and have competed at a high level leading up to this summer, with Tom winning back-to-back World Championship titles with the men's eight, and Emily taking silver at the 2024 European Championships with the women's eight.

Tom said: "It’s always amazing to be told you are selected for Team GB, and for me, knowing that my sister Emily has also been selected for her second Olympic Games is huge. It’s a proud moment for our family and being able to share this experience with Emily is just brilliant."

Emily added: "It’s a hugely proud moment for both of us and our family, and it’s made even more special this time as we can have family and friends supporting us out there. This was a massive part that was missed in our last Olympics, so to be able to experience this with them is going to be even more amazing.

"The fact we have each other to go through this journey together is something extremely unique and something we will definitely cherish for life. Newcastle University was instrumental in mine and Tom’s development.

"It was a wonderful place to be a student with great teaching, and looking back the support we received to develop in our sport while studying was pivotal. Help was always there when we needed it, and you could tell that student successes meant a lot to all areas of the university, hopefully we can give them more to be proud of this summer."

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