It takes a very special kind of person to become an Olympic gold medallist – a formidable amount of grit and determination, which only a select few can begin to understand…
After securing a gold medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, Leicestershire rower Lauren Henry is in this elite club and yet she remains remarkably humble, taking time out to speak with Pukaar and to share her exclusive experience with an enthusiasm which is nothing short of inspiring.
This hard-working athlete was part of a team of four female rowers who won the Quadruple Skulls back in August – beating the Dutch in the last stroke of the race. It was the first time that Great Britain have won gold in this boat class – and in a fashion, which had the entire nation holding its breath…
“It’s very special to win in such a close race because you feel like you really earned it, but at the same time I want to make sure it’s never that close again!” she tells us.
“We’ve raced the Dutch quite a lot and we tend to get the better of them and move on them a little earlier in the race, but I knew they’d be going out and giving their everything. Luckily we did too and we came out on the right side. It’s not over until it’s over – that’s what I always think…
“I made the call to go at 300 because I could see that they were dying,” she went on to reveal. “All of a sudden the boat just lifted and off we went…”
It’s this passion and mental resilience which has helped Lauren to get to the pinnacle of the sport she loves. Ahead of the Olympics, she trained 35 hours a week, suffering a string of broken ribs and coming back from multiple injuries in the process of achieving her sporting dream.
She loves to push herself during training and finds a hard session ‘incredibly rewarding’. Pushing her body to its limits and being out on the water is what she thrives on.
“I’m definitely not gifted in the way most rowers are – they tend to be tall with long limbs and I’m only 5 foot 7 – so quite short for a rower,” she explains.
“I haven’t got particularly long limbs either. I’m just very lucky that my mind set is right and I just love training.
“I have a very high tolerance to training and can cope with a lot – both mentally and physically, which pays off in terms of boat speed.
“When you’re in a boat and it’s going nicely, it’s probably the closest feeling you can get to flying.“
Picture: British Rowing
“I feel very free when I get out on the water. It’s a fantastic escape,” she adds.
“It’s so nice. You can be working so hard and dying, but if a boat’s going along really nicely it just feels amazing…”
Lauren first came to rowing at the age of 13 – and quite by chance. In fact, it was her twin sister who embraced the sport initially, whilst Lauren immersed herself in the world of drama.
However, when the theatre class she attended stopped for the summer, she decided to join her twin at Leicester Rowing Club – and the rest, as they say, is history.
She never went back to theatre class after becoming ‘hooked’ by the competitive nature of sport and despite her success, she still represents Leicester Rowing Club to this day. Pretty soon, Lauren’s drive saw her attending regattas and winning titles all across the country before making the Olympic squad.
“It’s quite funny really – if you’d have told me back then that I’d be representing my country at the Olympics – in any sport, I’d have laughed!” she says.
“At school, I had no interest in sport – I couldn’t catch a ball – I was no good at running or throwing, but when I found rowing, I thought ‘I could actually be good at this.’
“I don’t actually remember loving rowing that much at the start. I wasn’t that great at it, especially in the first year or so. But something kept me going and I don’t know what that was, but I’m very glad that I kept going!
“It’s amazing to think that I’ll be an Olympic champion for the rest of my life!”
Lauren has dreams of winning world titles in the Single Skull event and she is driven to become ‘the best in the world’ in her sport. At just 22, she has plenty of time to achieve her ambitions. She also has no plans of leaving Leicester Rowing Club – a place where she feels right at home.
“They’re very supportive and they’re always championing me. For them, it’s a really big thing to have an Olympic champion at the club and I’m very grateful for their support,” she says.
“It’s nice to show that you don’t have to come from one of the big private schools with all the big fancy rowing clubs down South to make it. If you’ve got hard work and grit, you can make it from anywhere.
“I might’ve got an Olympic gold but that hasn’t changed anything,” she adds.
“I quite like the sense of normality at the rowing club where I can just go, get my boat out and do some training.
“People are very impressed with what I’ve done but I’m still Lauren who’s been there for years. That’s really important and really refreshing for me.”
By Louise Steel
