Silver lining for Esme in Euro finals

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON rower Esme Booth took a stack of learnings and a silver medal from the European Championships.

Booth and Emily Ford combined to finish fifth in the final of the women’s pair, an event in which they won silver last year in Munich.

That result is a reflection of a shift in focus towards the eight and Booth was celebrating a silver medal in that event two hours later at Lake Bled, Slovenia.

Booth joined forces with Ford, Lauren Irwin, Karen Bennett, Sam Redgrave, Hattie Taylor, Annie Campbell-orde and cox Henry Fieldman to reach the podium.

Booth said: “I’m feeling OK, I thought I was going to be so tired at the end of it but I think the adrenaline got me through it!

“We’re learning again this year how to take on the project. Last year the pair was the focus and the eight was the thing on the side, but we’re taking it as 50:50 at the moment and learning as we go.

“I actually felt OK on the start line of the eight, when you’ve got something else to do, you don’t let yourself listen to how you’re feeling. You’ve got another job to do. I think the adrenaline carried us through the second race.

“It’s a good stake in the ground and hopefully we can step on from here.”

In the final of the eight, British crew led the field through the first 500m but their redoubtable Romanian rivals had too much in the remainder of the 2km course.

Britain crossed the line more than seven seconds behind the gold medallists and held off Italy to claim silver, finishing in a time of 6 mins 8.01 secs.

It was a repeat of the result at the 2022 European Championships with Booth, Ford, Redgrave and Irwin returning from the crew that reached the rostrum in Munich.

Booth’s next focus will be September’s World Championships in Belgrade, where boats can qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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. Visit https://www. britishrowing.org/