Featured Image Credit: BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images/Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Topics: Olympics, Sport, World News
Ella Scott
Topics: Olympics, Sport, World News
A recently implemented rule has allowed a Team GB star to become the first Olympian to win a medal in both men’s and women’s events.
Rowing has captured the heart of the nation during the 2024 Paris event, with Team GB celebrating its best-ever oversea games.
On the final day of the Olympic Rowing Regatta (August 3), the likes of Tom Digby, James Rudkin and Sholto Carnegie won gold in the Men’s Eight.
Meanwhile Heidi Long, Holly Dunford and co. collected a brilliant bronze—the second-ever GB medal in the event.
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Following the award ceremony, one of the women’s team members has found themselves being immortalised in Olympic history books, as sportsman Henry Fieldman became the first person to win a medal in both the men’s and women’s events.
But how did he do it?
Henry Fieldman is a 35-year-old Team GB rowing coxswain.
He earned his first bronze Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Men’s Eight and is also a two-time World Championships gold medalist.
On Friday, he won his second Olympic bronze while coxing Team GB’s Women’s Eight team.
He is therefore the first coxswain to stand on an Olympic podium with crews of both sexes.
A coxswain is an integral member of a rowing team and is the only one who doesn’t hold an oar.
Instead, they are responsible for issuing commands to their crew and for steering the boat by guiding its rudder.
Coxswains are also tasked with keeping their crew motivated in arduous situations and must have an eye on their opponent’s moves at all times.
According to Eugene Rowing Club, they’re the ‘brains of the boat’ and are utilised to execute strategy during races.
Before 2017 the World Rowing Federation commanded that coxswains must be the same sex as the rest of the crew.
However, the Federation later voted and an overwhelming majority elected to change the rule.
Coxswains are now able to be of any sex under World Rowing rules—hence Fieldman being awarded his bronze medal in the recent Women’s Eight.
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After receiving his second Olympic bronze medal, Fieldman said he knew ‘someone’ was going to do it after the World Rowing Federation changed the rules.
“They only changed the rule in 2017 so someone was going to do it and it just happened to be me,” he explained.
“It’s been a real joy, the honour of my life. Each stroke on average is harder [for the women than the men] and I’ve been super-impressed by them.
“They are a really supportive group. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and challenges.”
The eight women who made up the third-place rowing team were: Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Holly Dunford, Emily Ford, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart, Harriet Taylor and Annie Campbell-Orde while Fieldman serves as coxswain
The collective won bronze with a time of 5:59.51 in the final.
They came just behind Canada, (5:58.84) who took silver, and Romania (5.54.39) who became victorious by winning gold.
Following the event, Fieldman said he hopes this is just the start for Team GB’s Women’s Eight team.
"I hope that now that we've had two Olympic medals in the women's eight that this could be the start of more women's eights medals to come - stepping on to greater things.”
