The National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships (NJIRC) returned this year for its first in-person race since 2020. The event saw juniors from across the country swap boats and blades for Concept2s at one of the most accessible races in the rowing calendar. By offering two venues, one in London and one in Leeds, as well as races designed for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) competitors, over 2,500 young athletes were able to attend.
Leeds venue
For the first time ever, NJIRC was hosted simultaneously across two locations in order to make the event as inclusive as possible. The funding from both the Henley Royal Regatta Charity Trust and British Rowing made this possible, alongside the support from the Gorse Academy Trust Rowing Programme in Leeds. There were many incredible results throughout the day, but most notably was J. Atkin who won the Y8 Girls 3-minute race by 67 metres and M. Lincoln who won the Y8 Boys SEND 2 minutes by a similar 68 metres. The slightly older competitors also excelled, such as E. Hughes who won the Y11 Boys 6 minutes by 44 metres and J. Wildsmith who won the Y12 Girls 2000 metres at 1:56.2.
London venue
Meanwhile, at London’s Copper Box Arena, there were a few recent Concept2 British Record holders competing on the ground, such as F. Clarke from Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, who holds the record for age 13-14 boys over 1000m. Clarke won the Yr9 Boys 4 minute category by 45 metres, after a strong lead. O. Greenwell also holds a record for age 13-14 girls over 4 minutes, and took the win for the Yr9 Girls 4 minute category by 62 metres. Other impressive competitors at the London venue were E. Iwuanyanwu, who won the Y10 Girls SEND 2 minute race by 42 metres, and M. Greenwood who won the Y12 Girls SEND 2 minute category by an impressive 84 metres. Notably, E. Donovan-Davies won the Yr12 Boys 2000 meter race with an outstanding time of 6:13.3, beating many racers in the age category also.
Relays
Both venues also hosted relay races, offering a chance for the juniors to compete in teams as well as their individual races. The Gorse Boat Club had a huge success in Leeds, winning both of the Girl’s and Boy’s Sprint 2112 metre relay (the length of the Henley course). In London, Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School also took the win of both the Girls Boat Race 16 minutes and 19 seconds relay (the record time for the Boat Race) as well as the Boys Sprint 2112 meter relay.
Closing Thoughts
A few familiar faces and role models of the sport were seen meeting competitors and handing out medals throughout the day; Sir Steve Redgrave, Andrew Triggs Hodge OBE, and Sophie Hosking MBE were among some of the Olympians at the event. ‘The energy is just incredible, and to have this many young people out here competing is just fantastic’ is how Hosking described the day, and this feeling was clearly demonstrated by everyone who attended. As a hugely inclusive and diverse event, NJIRC is a testament to how rowing as a sport and community should be and aim to develop further.
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