Rory Gibbs

Rory Gibbs (born 3 April 1994) is a British representative rower - an Olympian and a two-time world champion. He won the 2022 and 2023 world championship titles in the British men's eight.[1] Between 2016 and 2023 he rowed in victorious crews across six events at the Henley Royal Regatta.[2]

Rory Gibbs
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1994-04-03) 3 April 1994
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Sport
CountryGreat Britain
SportRowing
Event(s)Coxless four
ClubOxford Brookes
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Great Britain
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 RačiceEight
Gold medal – first place2023 BelgradeEight
Bronze medal – third place2019 OttensheimCoxless four
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 LucerneCoxless four
Gold medal – first place2021 VareseCoxless four
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichEight
Gold medal – first place2023 Bled Eight

University rowing

Gibbs took up rowing after picking up injuries playing rugby.[1] He was educated at Millfield School and Oxford Brookes university where he was a relative late starter in taking up rowing.[2]

Racing for Oxford Brookes, Gibbs enjoyed an incredible run of victories at the Henley Royal Regatta as he proceeded through his developmental stages - in 2016 a victory in the Temple Challenge Cup (for university eights); in 2017 & 2018 victory in the Ladies' Challenge Plate (for club and university eights below international standard); in 2019 the Stewards' Challenge Cup (for club and university coxless fours). In 2022, he won the Grand Challenge Cup (the blue riband event at Henley) in the bow of a composite Leander/Oxford Brookes crew. [2]In 2023 again in Oxford Brookes colours, he was at five in the Leander/Oxford Brookes eight for another Grand Challenge Cup victory. [3]

Representative career

Gibbs first made national selection for Great Britain into the U23 men's eight for the 2015 U23 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv. That crew rowed to a fifth placing. [4] In 2016 Gibbs was selected to the British coxed four for the U23 World Championships and another overall fifth placing. [4]

2019 saw Gibbs selected into the Great Britain men's senior squad and medal success soon followed. He won a gold medal in the coxless four at the 2019 European Rowing Championships with Oliver Cook, Matthew Rossiter and Sholto Carnegie [5] then that same crew won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Rowing Championships.[6][7]

That crew of Gibbs, Cook, Rossiter and Carnegie stayed together throughout the Covid lost season of 2020 whilst knowing their 2019 performances had qualified the boat for the eventual 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2021, they won a second European gold medal as a 4- in Varese, Italy,[8] then took gold at the World Rowing Cup II. At the Tokyo Olympic regatta they won their heat, comfortably beating the eventual bronze medallists Italy. In the Olympic final they were in medal contention at each mark but were run down by the Italians in the last 500m and finished in fourth place. [4]

2022 saw Gibbs selected in the bow seat of the Great Britain senior men's eight. In that international season the eight won gold at two World Rowing Cups and at the 2022 European Rowing Championships.[9] Gibbs in the British eight went on to win gold and a world championship title at the 2022 World Rowing Championships in Račice. In 2023 Gibbs won a second successive world championship in the men's eight at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade.[10]

References
  1. "Profile". British Rowing. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  2. "Men's Squad".
  3. "Leander, Oxford Brookes and Thames dominate at Henley Royal Regatta". British Rowing. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. Gibbs at World Rowing
  5. "European Rowing Championships: Great Britain men's four win gold in Lucerne". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  6. "World Rowing Championships: Two gold & two bronze medals for Great Britain". BBC Sport.
  7. "European Rowing Championships: Great Britain men's four win gold in Lucerne". BBC Sport. BBC. 2 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  8. "Men's Four Final A (Final)". World Rowing. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  9. "European Championships Munich 2022: GB win four rowing gold medals". BBC. 13 August 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  10. "Catch-up: World Rowing Championships Finals: GB wins Gold in Men's Eight". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
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