Lauren Rowles pointing to the sky in celebration in her boat with her rowing partner at the finish line

Lauren Rowles

Athlete Information

  • Region

    Bromsgrove

  • Date of Birth

    23/04/1998

  • Classification

    Mixed Sculls PR2

Athlete main content

Bio

Lauren Rowles made history at Paris 2024 to become the first three-time Paralympic gold medallist in rowing when she won gold in the PR2 mixed double sculls alongside Gregg Stevenson.

Coming into Paris as the defending Paralympic champion having won gold at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls with Laurence Whiteley, Rowles extended her record with new partner and former Royal Engineer Commando Stevenson.

Lauren and Gregg qualified their boat for the 2024 Paralympic Games at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in a World Best Time of 08:00.57. They are also the current European champions. Before rowing, Lauren competed in wheelchair racing as a T54 athlete and represented England in the 1500m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow at the age of just 16 - just three years after acquiring a spinal cord condition transverse myelitis. She decided to pursue sport as part of her recovery while watching the London 2012 Paralympics.

Lauren is an active spokesperson for the LGBTQ+ community and wants to encourage and inspire children to get involved in sport. She lives with her fiancé, Paralympic basketball star Jude Hamer. They have recently had a child together called Noah Arlo. Alongside her training, she is studying law at Oxford-Brookes University. She hosts a podcast called Head Above Water - focused around motivation, struggles and success.

Major Results

2024 Paralympic Games, Paris, France

  • Mixed double scull PR2: Gold

2020 Paralympic Games, Tokyo, Japan

  • Mixed double scull PR2: Gold

2016 Paralympic Games, Rio, Brazil

  • Mixed double scull PR2: Gold

2023 World Championships, Belgrade, Serbia

  • Mixed double scull PR2: Gold

2019 World Championships, Ottensheim, Austria

  • Mixed double scull PR2: Gold

2015 World Championships, Aiguebelette, France

  • Mixed double scull PR2: Silver

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