Gregg Stevenson, a former Lead Physical Training Instructor and Mental Health Practitioner at the Trust’s Specialist Rehabilitation Centre (SMRC), secured back-to-back European titles at the weekend, winning gold with Lauren Rowles in the PR2 mixed double sculls (PR2 Mix 2x) at the European Rowing Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
The former Royal Engineer from Foulridge, who also won World Rowing Championships gold with Rowles in Belgrade in September - qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the process – was part of the Great Britain team which topped the medal table for the third-successive year at the European Championships.
Stevenson and Rowles’ goal was one of four on Sunday, with a further silver added to the four gold and bronze from Saturday, as GB celebrated a ‘clean sweep’ of golds across the men’s sweep boats, with medals for all 10 Para rowing athletes, and gold for both the women’s four and women’s quad.
Gregg said: “This is my first double medal. We won the Europeans last year, so to come here and do it again is pretty special. This is a springboard now; we’ve worked hard over the winter and we know what we have to do.”
Lauren dedicated the win to her partner and five-week old baby, “Five weeks ago my partner Jude gave birth to our son and so today was for Noah and Jude - I was thinking about our little boy in the last 500m. I was getting emotional being away from him so I definitely diddid it for them. To be out here and to be able to execute this is amazing. And to have Gregg supporting me through that - he’s trusted me the whole way and trust is a key part of this partnership.”
Louise Kingsley, Director of Performance at British Rowing added: “It’s been a great weekend and it’s promising to see us top the medal table once again. We are still learning and building through this season, but performances this weekend have put us in a good place as we look towards the Olympic and Paralympic Games later this year.”
This is only Gregg’s second year in the boat, after a 15-year journey which began when he was referred to the SMRC, after losing both his legs to an IED blast while on patrol in Helmand Province in 2009.
He went on to work at the centre, and he still makes regular trips to from East Lancashire for support with his prosthetics.
Having taken up rowing in 2012, Gregg was part of the trials process for the Invictus Games, but decided to row with the GB Paralympic programme, and was close to making GB’s para-rowing team for the 2016 Paralympics, before stepping away from the sport, and then being tempted back in 2022.
After a remarkable first season last year, Gregg was voted by GB Rowing’s current and former World Class Programme athletes as their Athlete of the Year.
