Rowing
Some of GB’s most decorated Olympic rowers began their careers at the University of Bath, which is home to both a Lottery-funded South West Performance Development Academy and a thriving student rowing club.
On-water training takes place on a 4km stretch of the River Avon, just a short distance from the Team Bath Sports Training Village which provides a world-class environment for strength and conditioning training plus physio and sport science support.
Performance Development Academy
Since 2003 the University has played host to a successful Performance Development Academy, which identifies young non-rowers and current rowers who have the potential to become Olympic champions and provides them with top-level coaching and support services.
Among the rowers who have come through the Bath programme are Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who won GB’s first-ever women’s Olympic rowing gold at London 2012 and successfully defended their women’s pairs title at Rio 2016. Glover went on to win women’s four silver at Paris 2024.
Vicky Thornley won silver at Rio 2016 in the double sculls and former sporting scholar Becky Wilde was a bronze-medallist in the same event at Paris 2024.
Sport Management and Coaching alumnus Cedol Dafydd – who won World Championships men’s quad silver in 2025, just a year after graduating from the University and making his GB Rowing Team senior debut – provides an insight into the Performance Development Academy:
The South West PDA is always looking for new recruits. No previous experience is needed but prospective rowers must be:
- Between the ages of 14-22
- Over 188cm for males and over 176cm for females
Click here to apply for Olympic talent testing through the British Rowing website.
Student rowing club
The University of Bath Rowing Club is a high-energy, high-performance student rowing environment built around ambition, improvement and competitive success.
The programme provides a structured pathway for all athletes—from complete beginners to those aiming for national and international competition—with a clear focus on developing technically strong and physically robust rowers.
Bath crews compete throughout the academic year at major university and national events including BUCS Head, BUCS Regatta, Henley Royal Regatta, and regional heads and regattas.
High-performing student rowers who meet the requisite criteria can apply for student-athlete support through the Student Performance Sport Breakthrough Programme and Sporting Scholarships.
Click here to find out more about the student rowing programme.
