Olympic Athlete Profile: Helen Glover & Heather Stanning (Rowing)

Glover (Left) & Stanning (Right); Photo Source: Team GB Official Facebook Page

On an overcast August day at Eton-Dorney, Team Great Britain finally won its first gold medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The worthy recipients were Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the Rowing Women's Pair Final. Great Britain has won a gold medal in rowing at every summer Olympics since 1984; however, the British women had never before won an Olympic gold in rowing.

Although the pair was unbeaten in 2012, the team is a relative newcomer in the sport. Glover, a PE teacher, picked up the sport only 5 years ago when she noticed an ad in a local paper for the "Sporting Giants Scheme" seeking ambitious athletes for the upcoming Olympic games at home. She had no previous experience in the sport whatsoever but had run cross-country and played hockey in school. She is a native of Cornwall. 

Stanning, on the other hand, is a different story.  She was commissioned from RMA Sandhurst into the Royal Artillery in 2008 and took time out of her military career to train for the Olympics. Stanning currently holds the rank of Captain and is originally from Somerset. She will return to active military duty at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire in September.