Double joy for Iwan on Great Britain rowing debut

May 17, 2019

Iwan (left) celebrates a medal with his GB crew.

A Monmouth schoolboy has marked his Great Britain rowing debut with a memorable two-medal haul at the Munich Junior Regatta.

Eighteen-year-old Iwan had an ‘incredible experience’, winning silver and bronze medals on his GB debut at the prestigious meeting in Germany.

The Monmouth School for Boys’ pupil has been in tremendous form this season and is pushing hard for a place in the GB squad for the 2019 World Rowing Junior Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in August.

Iwan’s success is a wonderful fillip for Monmouth School for Boys’ Rowing Club which is celebrating its 150th year.

Racing in the Junior Men’s Coxless four in Munich, Iwan and his crew impressed in the heat and then took a bronze medal in the A final.

Iwan was also part of the GB Junior Men’s eight against crews from Croatia, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Germany.

The GB crew reached the A final and took home a silver medal.

“Munich was an incredible experience,” said Iwan, who has made the step up from representing Wales at the Home International Regatta in 2018.

“Winning my first medal was a pretty good feeling and it was a very proud moment to win two medals in my first international event for GB.

“In terms of the future, it does not automatically mean that I have reached my goal of making the GB Junior World Championships team for Tokyo, but it puts me in a good position.

“There will be a week of trials in July after Henley and the National Schools Regatta that will decide who gets picked and the make-up of the crews to race.”

Meanwhile, Iwan was part of a Monmouth School for Boys’ crew which shone at the Nottingham Regatta.

There was a very strong entry and Monmouth’s First VIII raced in two events, winning one and finishing second in the other.

In Open Eights, the Monmouth crew reached the final with ease and then defeated Latymer Upper into second spot for the win.

The Monmouth crew also reached the Junior Eights final and were level with Abingdon’s 1st VIII for about 1,600m.

Abingdon eventually pulled away for the win but Monmouth finished second, ahead of King’s Wimbledon and King’s Chester, both top-10 finishers in the recent Schools’ Head of the River Race.

Iwan enjoyed a memorable debut with GB.