An Olympic medallist rower from County Durham has been keeping busy since her success in Paris. Lauren Irwin, from Peterlee, won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in the summer, in the women’s eight event.
It has been quite the whirlwind for Lauren since her Olympic success, but everything started for her when she began learning to row aged 14. She was always very sporty, and used to swim, but it was her time at St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College which introduced her to rowing, originally the indoor variety.
Speaking of her introduction to rowing, Lauren said: “I had never seen or heard of indoor rowing before being introduced to it through school, and it took me a little while to get used to it. I would go on the machine every lunch break, and would usually drag one of my friends along with me for moral support.
“It was only when we got a team together, and started competing against other schools in the area, that I felt like this could be something that I could get very good at. I won my event at the first competition I competed in, and that was my first taste of success through rowing.”
Lauren Irwin and the rest of the women’s eight rowing team celebrate with their bronze medals at the Paris Olympics
(Image: British Rowing)
Lauren knew that if she wanted to further this newfound passion, she would need to join a rowing club. That’s exactly what she did, as she became a member of Chester-Le-Street Amateur Rowing Club, but this change from indoor rowing to being in the water took some getting used to.
Lauren continued: “I had just done indoor rowing at this point, so it was scary starting off on the water, where there are a lot of other things to think about, including falling in, which is part of the experience. Many of the people on the Olympic team started on the rowing machine, so this definitely isn’t uncommon.
“I always liked to set myself goals for the year, as I never knew how far I could take rowing, so I made it my mission to push myself to the highest level of performance and represent my country. This started off being at junior level, before I was able to transition into the senior setup.”
Lauren made the senior England team just after the Tokyo Olympics, and set her sights on being on a plane to Paris when the next games rolled around. It soon came to the summer of 2023, when she would have to qualify the boat for the Olympics, before undergoing a rigorous selection process to make Team GB.
Lauren Irwin and the rest of the women’s eight rowing team celebrate after winning bronze medals at the Paris Olympics
(Image: PA)
On the lead-up to the Olympics, Lauren said: “That year was very stressful, you put so much into it and the selection process is really draining, so it was such a relief when I found out that I had been chosen. The training camp before is always tough too, but me and all the girls were so motivated to succeed.”
Lauren’s event, the women’s eight, was highly competitive throughout the games, with her team getting the best of Canada in their heat, a result that filled them with confidence. When it came to the final, Lauren and the rest of the team stuck to their race plan and delivered a huge bronze medal finish.
Lauren thought back on the victorious moment, before saying: “There was such an excitement, we are a very close group and are really good friends, so it felt like we won for everyone, not just for ourselves. We would always have our lunch together and bonded a lot as a crew, so it was amazing to be able to leave a legacy on the Olympics together.
“We wanted to make our event the rowing race which everyone talked about, and I think that the nation was very behind us. We also just wanted to show girls back home that they can do things like this, even when people don’t think that it’s possible.”
Lauren Irwin attending the Team GB Ball
(Image: Getty)
One of the first things Lauren did when she made it back to the UK was come home, and visited her old school, St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College in Peterlee. While she was there, she spoke to students and gave them the opportunity to see an Olympic medal in person.
Soon after this, the team went to meet King Charles and attended the Team GB Ball, both experiences Lauren describes as ‘amazing’, which allowed her to see the crew again. The adjustment back to a regular routine isn’t an easy one however, as Lauren explains.
She added: “I think that I decompressed quite slowly after the Olympics, so it took me a bit of time to come down from the emotional high of the summer. It was coming back to Durham which has grounded me, and it has been an honour being able to show off the medal to everyone back up in the North East.”