Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Adaptive section entered two of its young SEND rowers into the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships recently.

Competing in the SEND Two Minute School Year 9 race against eleven other competitors, the pair finished with the Gold and Silver Medals. The physically large Edward Owen-Smith came in first, completing 607 metres in the allotted time. Lance Fowler, who is better at longer distances, finished second with 536 metres and competed remotely. The boys won the same medals at December’s British Indoor Rowing Championship.

Edward also competed in the Mainstream Four Minute Indoor Race: this race had seven hundred and one entrants and Edward finished nineth overall with a distance of 1167 metres. The winner covered 1198 metres. The World Record for an intellectually impaired rower of his age was 919 metres: Edward surpassed the mark by 248 metres.

Mark Dewdney, Stratford Boat Club’s Head Adaptive Coach, commented, “I am very proud of them both: they both continue to amaze me. They train hard and ultimately that is where these results come from.”

The Club’s adaptive section now holds sixteen current Indoor Rowing World Records.

For media coverage, see Stratford Herald online https://www.stratford-herald.com/sport/stratford-rowers-claim-gold-and-silver-at-national-junior-in-9459008 and page forty five