At the halfway point of the women's single sculls final, Lauren Henry was not in the lead. But the 2024 Olympic champion had a plan. She steadily worked her way through the field during the second half of the race and crossed the finish line first, defending her European title at the Varese European Rowing Championships in Italy.
Henry, who won Olympic gold in the women's quadruple sculls at last summer's Paris Games, showed she can win in a smaller boat too. The victory proved her versatility and cemented her status as one of the best rowers in the world.
"European Championships women's single sculls gold — and a successful title defence," Henry said after the race.
Benjamin Pritchard also returned to the top of the podium, defending his own European title in the PR1 men's single sculls. The Welsh rower beat home-favorite Giacomo Perini of Italy to claim gold. PR1 refers to rowers with the most significant physical impairments, and Pritchard's win was a dominant performance in his category.
The pair's successes were part of a strong weekend for Great Britain. The team had already secured three gold medals on Saturday before Henry and Pritchard added their wins on Sunday. The total haul made this one of Britain's most successful European Championships in recent years.
Not everything went Britain's way, though. The women's eight had to settle for silver, finishing 5.43 seconds behind a powerful Romanian crew. The team, made up of Annie Campbell-Orde, Lauren Irwin, Katherine George, Heidi Long, Megan Slabbert, Amelia Standing, Eve Stewart, Elizabeth Witt, and cox Jack Tottem, gave everything but could not match Romania's pace.
The Varese event served as important preparation ahead of the 2026 World Championships, which take place from 24 to 30 August in the Netherlands. Britain's men's team did not compete in Italy because they were at an altitude training camp in Silvretta, a mountainous region where thin air helps athletes build endurance.
For Henry and Pritchard, though, this weekend was about showing they are still the ones to beat heading into the next phase of their journey toward the World Championships.