GLOVER’S BIG STEP ON ROAD TO TOKYO

HELEN GLOVER has taken a giant stride towards completing her incredible Olympic comeback mission after being selected for Great Britain’s rowing squad for the European Championships. The mother of three only announced her return to competitive action in January having taken time off to start a family after her second Olympic gold in 2016. She is now on track for this summer’s Tokyo Games after being chosen to row with Polly Swann in the pair at next week’s Europeans in Varese, Italy. ‘I’ve been back for three months and being selected is the first step to become the first woman in British Rowing history to make an Olympic team after having children,’ said the 34-year-old. ‘I’m finding the journey exciting and challenging, but I hope I return from Varese with some success stories to share with the children.’ Glover (above) and Heather Stanning won Team GB’s first gold of London 2012, then repeated their success in the women’s pair in Rio. Glover gave birth to son Logan in July 2018, before having twins Kit and Bo, a boy and a girl, in January 2020. She would not have tried for Tokyo were it not for the Games being postponed last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But her return has buoyed the British rowing squad, with men’s colleague Moe Sbihi commenting that ‘having her around the place is like signing Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi’. Glover and Swann won gold at the World Championships in 2013. They will likely row together in Tokyo unless they flop in Varese, Britain’s first international event since the 2019 World Championships. Ahead of next week’s race, British Rowing’s Brendan Purcell said: ‘It has been 20 months since we competed at an international regatta and the whole squad cannot wait to get racing again. ‘When we came home from the World Championships in September 2019, we had no idea of the challenges that would lie ahead. ‘I’m incredibly proud of every single member of the team, from the athletes to the coaching staff. They have worked tirelessly over this period, maintaining fitness levels and working towards safely competing again.’ Team GB topped the rowing medal table at the Rio Olympics, winning three golds and two silvers.