2024 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year – Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson

Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson are the 2024 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year. From Great Britain, they rowed together in the PR2 mixed double sculls.

Their story is nothing short of phenomenal. They teamed up just a year out from the Paralympic Games and in their first international race, the European Rowing Championships, they not only won, but did it by a healthy open-water margin.

Since then Rowles and Stevenson have never lost a race, completing both the 2023 season and the 2024 season undefeated with a World Best Time and the Paris Paralympic Games gold, topping off their success.

Rowles is the more experienced of the duo and a para-rowing stalwart and pioneer.  She is the first para-rower to be a three-time Paralympic Champion with golds from Rio, Tokyo, and now Paris.

Transverse Myelitis caused Rowles to be paralysed from the waist down at the age of 13. At 14, she took up wheelchair track racing, and then switched to rowing in 2015 after being scouted by the British Rowing Team. Her success at rowing was instant, winning a silver medal at the 2015 World Rowing Championships.

For the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games, Rowles raced with Laurence Whiteley. After Whiteley retired, Rowles hunted for another doubles partner.

Gregg Stevenson had suffered a double led amputation while serving as a Royal Engineer Commando in 2009. He worked to gain his fitness and in 2018 tried indoor rowing at the Invictus Games. He followed this by joining the on-water version.

Stevenson’s coach, Nick Baker described Stevenson: “Gregg is one of those athletes you rarely come across in elite sport. Humble, talented, hardworking and willing to accept and respond to challenging feedback to improve his own and his team performance. Gregg brought an unshakable positivity to a team that is always under pressure and has an expectation to perform wherever it goes.”

Stevenson was unable to attend the awards ceremony, and Rowles accepted the award for both her and Stevenson.

“Nearly two years ago I called up Gregg. I was lost in the sport. I had no rowing partner and I was trying to find my love for the sport. I also wanted to head towards Paris. Gregg was taking a break from the sport. He had rowed with me back in 2019. I asked him if he wanted to try and win with me at Paris. He said yes and since then we have won everything we entered. We’ve had the most incredible two years.

“We’ve entered everything and won everything.

“Ten years ago I took my first strokes in the boat that kickstarted a journey in my life that’s been incredible. In the last ten years I’ve won more titles; paralympic, world championships, European championships, than one could dream of. But I’ve never been able to win this award. So it’s fair to say this award is harder to win than the Paralympics!

“I’ve dreamt to be on this stage and being able to have this award. to win this award. For me it’s a lifetime achievement award. Now I can hopefully retire now that I’ve won this.

“For me it means more than the performance to just go out there. For me in Paralympic rowing we hope to inspire the next generation and it’s not just about our ability or in our case our disability.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to compete on the highest stage in the world no matter who you are; your background, your sexuality, where you come from. That’s really important to us that when we go out there, when we’re on the start line we’re able to show that through our performance.

“Nothing should hold you back and sport should be for everybody.

“I’m here on behalf of the crew but there’s more to the crew than just the athletes in the boat. I want to thank our coach Nick Baker who took us from the first strokes years ago. To our partners Jude and Mel who have sacrificed everything for us to achieve our goals. And lastly to our sons. Gregg has two sons, Jack and Harry. Earlier this year, I had my son Noah. They are our greatest motivations. Without them this wouldn’t be possible.”