Rory Gibbs
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| Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 April 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rowing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Coxless four | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Oxford Brookes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rory Gibbs(born 3 April 1994) is a British representativerower- an Olympian and a two-time world champion. He won the 2022 and 2023 world championship titles in the British men's eight.[1]Between 2016 and 2023 he rowed in victorious crews across six events at theHenley Royal Regatta.[2]
University rowing
[edit]Gibbs took up rowing after picking up injuries playing rugby.[1]He was educated atMillfield SchoolandOxford Brookesuniversity where he was a relative late starter in taking up rowing.[2]
Racing for Oxford Brookes, Gibbs enjoyed an incredible run of victories at theHenley Royal Regattaas he proceeded through his developmental stages - in 2016 a victory in theTemple Challenge Cup(for university eights); in 2017 & 2018 victory in theLadies' Challenge Plate(for club and university eights below international standard); in 2019 theStewards' Challenge Cup(for club and university coxless fours). In 2022, he won theGrand Challenge Cup(the blue riband event at Henley) in the bow of a composite Leander/Oxford Brookescrew.[2]In 2023 again in Oxford Brookes colours, he was at five in the Leander/Oxford Brookeseight for another Grand Challenge Cup victory.[3]
Representative career
[edit]Gibbs first made national selection for Great Britain into the U23 men's eight for the 2015U23 World Rowing Championshipsin Plovdiv. That crew rowed to a fifth placing.[4]In 2016 Gibbs was selected to the British coxed four for the U23 World Championships and another overall fifth placing.[4]
2019 saw Gibbs selected into the Great Britain men's senior squad and medal success soon followed. He won a gold medal in thecoxless fourat the2019 European Rowing ChampionshipswithOliver Cook,Matthew RossiterandSholto Carnegie[5]then that same crew won a bronze medal at the2019 World Rowing Championships.[6][5]
That crew of Gibbs, Cook, Rossiter and Carnegie stayed together throughout the Covid lost season of 2020 whilst knowing their 2019 performances had qualified the boat for the eventual2020 Tokyo Olympics.In 2021, they won a second European gold medal as a 4- inVarese,Italy,[7]then took gold at theWorld Rowing CupII. At the Tokyo Olympic regatta they won their heat, comfortably beating the eventual bronze medallists Italy. In the Olympic final they were in medal contention at each mark but were run down by the Italians in the last 500m and finished in fourth place.[4]
2022 saw Gibbs selected in the bow seat of the Great Britain senior men's eight. In that international season the eight won gold at twoWorld Rowing Cupsand at the2022 European Rowing Championships.[8]Gibbs in the British eight went on to win gold and a world championship title at the2022 World Rowing Championshipsin Račice. In 2023 Gibbs won a second successive world championship in themen's eightat the2023 World Rowing Championshipsin Belgrade.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ab"Profile".British Rowing.Retrieved4 July2023.
- ^abc"Men's Squad".
- ^"Leander, Oxford Brookes and Thames dominate at Henley Royal Regatta".British Rowing.Retrieved4 July2023.
- ^abcGibbs at World Rowing
- ^ab"European Rowing Championships: Great Britain men's four win gold in Lucerne".BBC Sport.BBC. 2 June 2019.Retrieved6 June2019.
- ^"World Rowing Championships: Two gold & two bronze medals for Great Britain".BBC Sport.
- ^"Men's Four Final A (Final)".World Rowing.Retrieved11 June2021.
- ^"European Championships Munich 2022: GB win four rowing gold medals".BBC.13 August 2022.Retrieved11 September2022.
- ^"Catch-up: World Rowing Championships Finals: GB wins Gold in Men's Eight".BBC Sport.Retrieved18 September2023.
