Olympian to Open Medway Boat Race
Champion rower Alison Mowbray is lending a touch of Olympic class to the Universities at Medway Boat Race.
Alison, a member of the British Rowing team for seven years, competed in five World Championships and two Olympic Games during her rowing career, landing the silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in the Quad Scull event.
The athlete is now turning her sights to the inaugural Medway Race on Saturday, 26 May, when she will be busy greeting student competitors and handing out prizes in the award ceremonies.
The event, organised by the Universities at Medway Students’ Association and Medway Council, features two main races. Women’s ‘fours’ from Kent and Canterbury Christ Church universities will be the first to battle it out, while the men’s ‘eights’ event between Kent and Greenwich will be the second race.
All students taking part study at the shared campus in Chatham Maritime. They are all novices who have been training especially for the historic occasion – the first student boat race ever to take place on the River Medway.
Alison, who rowed for both Liverpool and Cambridge universities before progressing to the international arena, had words of encouragement for the students as they shape up for the big day.
‘The best advice I can give to each student is to train hard, focus on your own role and trust in your team mates,’ she said. ‘I believe that rowing is the ultimate team sport. The winners are not necessarily the best athletes but are those who have the best team spirit and really work together.
‘The other bit of advice I can give is this – enjoy it! There’s a bit of history being made in Medway and it’s exciting to be a part of it. The students will be giving it their best, I’m sure, but I hope they can also enjoy the whole experience.’
Alison, who retired from international competition after the Athens Games, now works as a business performance consultant and a motivational speaker. She said she was delighted to hear that the students’ association at the Medway campus was launching its own rowing club, in the wake of interest generated by the race.
‘I’m hugely indebted to university rowing,’ she said. ‘If it had not been for the rowing club at Liverpool, I would never have started. In fact, I hadn’t even stepped in a boat before the age of 18!
‘It’s a fairly accessible sport and more university clubs can only be a good thing. In my experience, they provide a perfect mix of sporting and social activities.’
The Universities at Medway Boat Race gets under way from 11.00am on Saturday 26 May, with the public welcome to attend.
The award ceremonies will take place at approximately 12.30pm.
The men’s trophy has been sponsored by Canterbury-based law firm Furley Page Solicitors, with the women’s trophy sponsored by the Chatham Maritime Trust.
For more information and images contact:
Nick Davison
Press Officer
University of Greenwich
020 8331 8092
n.a.p.davison@gre.ac.uk