Following a hugely successful season for both DUBC and GB, 3 members of the squad raced in the final event of the season: the under-23 European championships. Going through the gruelling season-long trialling process, 3 athletes put in strong performances throughout, earned their vest and were selected to represent their country on the highest stage. Coming off a resilient 4th place finish in the Women’s eight at U23 Worlds, Evelyna Davies was selected for the Women’s four in what was her third time representing GB this season. After excellent seasons of their own, George Reed and Gus John were both selected for the men’s eight. Their selection brings the total number of vests won by current DUBC athletes this season to an astonishing 7. The club is immensely proud of all of them.
Day one of the competition saw both boats race in preliminary races. The Men’s eight only had 5 entries and the Women’s four had 3. This meant that all crews would automatically make it into their respective finals. Despite this, both crews would put in strong performances in these races, each finishing second. An impressive result for George and Gus’ first international race. These races built confidence for all DUBC athletes going into the finals on Sunday, while also getting used to racing on the course and, in the case of Evelyna, swapping to row on a different side! Yet more evidence or her unbelievable talent.
Then came day two, finals day. The Women’s four was the first British crew to race in their final. The crew sat in last place coming through the 1500m marker but after a devastating move they stormed to victory with a blistering last 500m, securing the gold medal in a time of 7:01. Evelyna tops off Andrew Mettrick’s gold at Worlds, with her own brilliant gold. An incredibly well-deserved medal after all the work she put in throughout the year. Congratulations Lyna!
The weather then took a turn for the worse, meaning that the Men’s eight final was delayed until later in the afternoon. In the very last race of the day, the crew stormed out the blocks and after a strong middle 1km were level coming through the 1500m mark. Despite dogged moves from the crews from Ukraine and Germany, the GB crew managed to hold them off, finishing second with a time of 5:39. George returns to Durham for another year where he will continue to represent the squad and drive up the performance. Gus moves on to Cambridge University, where we expect to see him tearing it up down the Boat Race Course. Good luck Gus.
To have each member of DUBC who represented their country to come away with a medal in these championships is testament to their hard work and dedication throughout the season. Massive congratulations to Evelyna, George and Gus for their incredible achievement. All of them put in outstanding performances across the weekend and have made DUBC proud.