Chasing Rowing Lore: Great Britain Sculler Lauren Henry Eyes Unprecedented Triple Crown and $50,000 Prize

Lauren Henry has already made history this season, becoming the first British woman to win gold in the Women’s Single Scull at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. Dominating a stacked final field that included Olympic Champion Karolien Florijn and defending World Champion Fiona Murtagh, Henry seized the lead at the 1200m mark and never looked back.

Now, the Leicester Rowing Club sculler is chasing even rarer air. She is attempting to become the first rower in history—male or female—to complete the prestigious single scull Triple Crown: winning the World or Olympic Championship, the Henley Royal Regatta, and the Gold Cup.

Henry’s quest for the $50,000 Gold Cup Triple Challenge prize is already well underway. She secured the first leg by claiming her second consecutive Princess Royal Challenge Cup title at Henley, where her class and power overcame an early deficit to defeat Austria’s Magdalena Lobnig. The Gold Cup (officially the Philadelphia Challenge Cup), established in 1920 during Philadelphia rowing’s heyday, holds a prominent place in single scull lore. In 2018, the Gold Challenge Cup Foundation introduced the Triple Challenge to reward the athlete who can conquer these three pinnacle events.

Henry arrives at this Saturday’s Gold Cup on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey, in striking form. She is fresh off another prestigious victory, having just taken the women’s single sculls title at the Head of the Charles Regatta this past weekend. Coupled with her 2026 European single scull title, it’s been a season for the ages.

With history and a $50,000 prize on the line, one final race stands between Henry and immortality. Can the history-making continue? Stay tuned.