Olympic gold medallist returns to Durham University to receive honour

Olympic rower and gold medallist, Sophie Hosking, has returned to Durham University, where she studied and trained, for the naming ceremony of the Sport England-supported indoor powered rowing tank.

The rowing tank was the centre-piece of an impressive facility development backed by a £500k National Lottery grant from Sport England’s Iconic Facilities fund as part of the London 2012 sporting legacy for the university and the North of England. It will now be known as ‘The Sophie Hosking Rowing Tank’.

The tank, used to teach the art of sculling and crew skills, is designed to simulate the movement and feel of a boat through water. The flow of the water can be adjusted electronically to give any speeds up to three metres per second and is one of only three in the country.

Sophie, who won gold with her rowing partner Kat Copeland at the London Olympics, was joined by bronze medallist, Stephen Rowbotham, and shared tips on rowing with pupils from local schools and university students.

Speaking of her time at Durham, Sophie said: “Choosing to study and row at Durham will always be a fundamental part of me winning Gold at the Olympics.”

Sport England’s Property Director, Charles Johnston, said:  “With a rich heritage of participation within the university, it’s fantastic to see past rowers from Durham University doing so well at this year’s Games. The Sophie Hosking Rowing Tank will create a lasting legacy beyond London 2012 and will hopefully produce more world class rowers.”