Ben Pritchard is the 2025 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year

On the back of a Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medal, 2025 was a good year for Benjamin Pritchard. The British two-time Paralympian is the winner of the World Rowing Para Crew of the Year 2025.

Pritchard was presented with the award earlier this year at a star studded ceremony in Switzerland’s Olympic Museum with the cream of rowing present including the winners of the other World Rowing award categories. It also gave Pritchard the chance to sign the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes Wall. This award comes hot off the para single sculler winning the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year.

Pritchard’s list of achievements is impressive. He comes from a sporting background that includes sailing and triathlon. A cycling accident causing back injuries propelled him to para sports and just a three years after his accident he was on the British para rowing team and winning medals. He competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games finishing fifth in the PR1 men’s single sculls. Since then he hasn’t missed a podium finish culminating in gold at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

His 2025 season was like icing on the cake. He won both the European Rowing Championships and the World Rowing Championships with an open water lead over two-time Paralympic Champion Roman Polianskyi of Ukraine. Further, at the European Championships Pritchard set a new World Best Time knocking a three seconds off the previous time owned by Polianskyi. Later in the same competition Pritchard smashed his own time by seven seconds taking the World Best Time to 8:40, setting a substantially faster new benchmark in the PR1 men’s single.

This gives Pritchard a triple crown of being the current holder of European, World and Paralympic titles on top of holding the World Best Time.

As World Rowing Rower of the Month after his Paralympic win Pritchard described why rowing became his sport; “The reason why rowing stuck compared to other sports was that I got out of my wheelchair. I got put in a boat and watched that wheelchair disappear. That was the hook. The competitive element was the start, that was what piqued my interest, but the hook was the freedom.”

At the award ceremony Pritchard said in acceptance: “As athletes, race day can sometimes feel like it gives us our moment. My race might give me nine minutes in the spotlight, but this award is really about everything, and everyone, that makes those nine minutes possible. It’s about the coaches who plan the sessions, the organisers who make races accessible, the volunteers who turn up early and stay late, the officials, the support staff, and the people working behind the scenes who make sure the start line is there for all of us. Without that collective effort, there is no race, and there is no performance. I’m proud to be part of a para sport community that lifts each other up, and I’m thankful to everyone who helps make the start line possible.”

Pritchard will be back this season and is working towards defending his Paralympic title at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.