Brookes haul in medals at EUSA

The Boat Club had a fantastic domestic season in 2015, and capped it off by winning multiple medals at the European University Rowing Championships in Hannover, Germany. OBUBC became European Champions in two events – winning the Lightweight Men’s 2x and the Men’s Eight – including being the first British university to win the Men’s Eight Gold in the history of the event. They also picked up Silver in the Women’s Coxless Four event.

Brookes rowers also formed part of the GB Rowing Team who went on to win the overall competition:

The Brookes Men’s 8+ comprised of students Harry Brightmore (cox), Morgan Bolding, Henry Swarbrick, James Stanhope, Rory Gibbs, Matthew Aldridge, Michael Glover, Will Hall and Richard Hume.

Jamie Copus and Ben Reeves won the Men’s Lightweight 2x; and Susie Dear, Annie Withers, Danielle Shrosbree and Imogen Mackie won Silver in the Women’s 4-. Allan French, Senior Women’s Squad Coach said:

“This is a great start to the semester for us and we are pleased to have performed so well – not just for our Boat Club, but also as part of the GB Team. It was exciting for us to be able to send a team out to the championships and our rowers enjoyed competing against some of the best universities in Europe.”

The club’s achievements in Germany come just a week after the 2015 World Rowing Championships in France, where again student Jamie Copus gave a sterling performance along with Joel Cassells and Oxford Brookes Chancellor Katherine Granger. Joel won Gold in the lightweight pair, becoming World Champion.

With a full-time training programme and a new full-time coach, the women’s rowing squad have particularly flourished this season, and look to continue to do so as the new season gets underway.