Esme ready to push herself to the limit in double Euro bid

ESME Booth is relishing stretching the limits of rowing as she once again doubles up at the European Championships.

The Stratford-upon-avon star won silver medals in the pair and the eight on debut in 2022.

She had a day to recover last year but this time there are only 90 minutes between the two finals, a challenge she is meeting head on.

“We’ve done a few things in training to get used to that turnaround, asking the questions around warm-ups and nutrition, there’s a lot to factor in,” said Booth. “It’s exciting to push those boundaries and it shows how much the body can do.

“You can go out and blast it in the pair for five or six minutes, you’re keeled over at the finish line and you’ve got no more, and then an hour later, you go again. The fact that your body can turn itself around is a good showcase for the sport.”

The European Championships will be staged at Lake Bled, Slovenia, from Thursday to Sunday.

Buoyed by Booth, GB finished top of the medal table last time in Munich with ten medals and six golds.

Booth rowed with Emily Ford last year and they took the pair on to the World Championships, where they reached the A final but missed out on a medal.

“Last year was a fifth – that was fine, now it’s about where we can step on to,” said Booth. “The project was fresh last year. Now we’ve got a season under our belt and we know where we need to improve.”

The women’s eight has been a ‘project’ boat for Britain for some years but has progressed under Aussie head coach Andrew Randell.

“Everyone in the eight is so focused on getting it going and excited,” said Booth. “It’s an enjoyable experience.”

British Rowing is the governing body for the sport and is responsible for the development of rowing in England and the training and selection of rowers to represent Great Britain. The GB Rowing Team is supported by the National Lottery Sports Fund. To find out more, and to follow the team, head to www.britishrowing.org/