Name: Elliott Donovan-Davies

Age: 17

Current club: Hartpury College

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wins:

•  National Indoor Champion over 2k
• Quad course record at Monmouth Head,
• GB Start athlete,
• Under 19 GB trialist,
• Multiple wins at regattas across the country.

 

Tell us a bit about how you started rowing and where you are with it today?

I started rowing when I was 14 years old alongside my main sport at the time which was rugby. I wasn’t serious about rowing at the time but found it enjoyable so I started rowing for Cardiff and Vale Rowing Club. I was showing small improvements and had some successes within the season but shortly after I started; COVID hit, and training was completely stopped and eventually the club shut down.

Once the pandemic rules had lifted, I took a chance at rowing again joining Penarth Rowing Club and trialling for the Welsh Start rowing programme at 15 years old, accepted on my second trial. I had a great coach Emily Doherty, who taught me discipline and commitment that this sport takes to be one of the best, and how to cope with the mental and physical demands of rowing. This led to the 2021-2022 season being quite successful seeing huge improvements in both the physical and technical parts of the sport and picking up a few wins along the way. However, living quite far away from the Welsh Start centre, I couldn’t frequently train which would be an issue if I wanted to continue to improve and get to where I wanted to. Therefore, after secondary school I decided to trial for the Hartpury Rowing academy which is where I am today. This academy is pushing me, and I have made great improvements; setting personal bests frequently and now trialling for the Great Britain U19 squad and the Welsh U19 squad this season.

 

What am I most proud of to date?

I am most proud of my dedication to the sport. I train twice a day 6 days a week which is not an easy task to do especially when balancing that with 3 A levels at college.

 

Where do you hope to be in 5 years?

In 5 years, I hope to represent Great Britain in the European and World U23 championships. I also hope to win Henley Royal Regatta within the next 5 years. And then to eventually one day compete in the Olympics.

 

What are your main strengths?

My main strengths in the boat are my power, speed and my ability to always push one more.

 

Who is your biggest inspiration in sport?

My biggest inspiration in sport is my mother. She represented Wales on an international level and at 2 Commonwealth Games which is what I also aspire to do.

 

What are the next steps/moves for you?

I will be competing in some of the biggest junior regattas in the country and look to place high in them, the biggest being Henley Royal Regatta. I am also looking to qualify for the home international regatta and represent Wales for the first time.