Great performance by Chearsley rower Katherine at U23s World Championship

Chearsley’s Katherine George, 19, finished fifth representing Great Britain in the Under 23 World Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic at the weekend.

With Zoe Adamson in the semi-final of the women’s double sculls they qualified third for the A final in Racice.

Chasing the German crew, the pair from the Leander Club managed to put their bows in front of the Romanian crew at half distance to edge into second place.

The battle between the two crews continued to the finish line and the British crew had to see off a late charge from Lithuania.

Racing in the final in lane one, Zoe and Katherine were in a tightly fought battle with the crews from Greece, Germany, Romania and the Netherlands all jostling for the medalist positions.

At the 1,000 metre mark the British crew just had their bows ahead in second spot, but by the end of the race the Romanian crew had rowed through. The British double finished fifth in the world.

British Rowing’s Chief Coach for U23s and Juniors, Peter Sheppard, reflected on a fulfilling week of racing: “After a challenging 18 months the U23 team didn’t disappoint and delivered some exceptional results here in Racice,” he said.

“It was a first for Great Britain B to have all crews in the A-Finals and then to end up top of the table for the Olympic boat classes with three gold medals and a bronze medal was outstanding.

“Each crew delivered their best performance of the regatta in their respective final, indicating their intent for the future. I am sure we will see many of these athletes challenging for senior team places in the next three years as we close in on Paris 2024.”

From a rowing family, 6ft 4in tall Katherine learnt to row at Cheltenham Ladies College.

She won the UK indoor rowing gold for sixth form girls in 2019 and having deferred her entry to university she joined Leander Club’s development squad.

Katherine is due to continue her rowing at Princeton University in America next month.