Richards bags world silver
Minerva Bath Rowing Club’s rowingmachine queen Heidi Richards has triumphed again, this time on the world stage with a silver medal at the Indoor Championships in Paris. It was the first time France had held the championships and athletes from 51 countries fought it out for world titles on the rowing machine.
While Richards is nurturing in her day job as a vet at Bath Cats and Dogs Home, her single-minded competitiveness is second to none on the rowing machine. Her training before the championships consisted of an intensive eight to ten session a week on the machine in her garage or at Minerva’s boathouse in Newbridge, plus weight sessions at the gym alongside her job and usual water rowing sessions.
Knowing that she had taken a chunk off her personal best, Richards, who holds the British record for the 1,000m indoor sprint in the heavyweight (aged 50-59) women category, lined up for the Masters’ Women’s 500m sprint alongside athletes from six other nations.
Flanked by former Olympian Isabell Laccours-danjou of France and Margit Hansen Haar of Denmark, who holds four world records, it was tough for Richards. But her hard work paid off to win silver, finishing just 0.7 seconds behind Hansen Haar in 1min 37.5 secs and beating Malin Faraasen of Sweden into third by 1.4secs.
Richards only learnt to row in 2016 and the results serves as a huge boost to the club. The result attracted congratulations on Twitter from former Olympic rowers Helen Glover, Minerva’s patron, and Annamarie Phelps, as well as chief executive of Sport England, Tim Hollingsworth.
Richards said: “I was really happy with the result, they gave me a medal and also a baguette, so who wouldn’t be.” Richards also celebrated with a visit to a Parisian patisserie and allowed herself to sample the capital’s champagne.
She added: “I’m back on the water with the Midweek Scullers from Monday and I hope this win sends the message not to let age hold you back.
“I never thought I’d be doing anything like this four years ago, but I’ve had fantastic support and encouragement from my club mates and family. Hopefully more people will realise that rowing is a brilliant sport that’s open to all age groups and abilities.”