IMOGEN GRANT is Team GB’s Olympic rower gunning for gold in Paris – before a radical change of profession away from the water.
The double world champion will begin working as a doctor in Oxfordshire just THREE DAYS after the Paris 2024 closing ceremony.
Grant was born in Cambridge on February 26, 1996.
The 27-year-old was introduced to rowing during her first year of studying medicine at Trinity College, Cambridge in 2014.
She took a three-year break away from her course in order to train for Tokyo 2020, but returned to graduate last year.
Since the Tokyo Olympics, Grant and her doubles partner Emily Craig are undefeated, coming away with eight gold medals from eight elite events.
This inspiring run has seen them become back-to-back world champions and European champions between 2022 and 2023.
Grant and Craig are among the favourites to claim gold later this month.
Juggling Olympic training with the additional commitment of completing a foundation year at a Slough hospital has been no easy feat.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport during a break from training at British Rowing’s Caversham training base, Grant said: “This is the last Olympics with lightweight rowing in it.
“The reason that I came back is because we want to win Olympic gold and we want to taste that victory.
“It’s not a given though. There are a lot of very fast lightweight women. It’s the only event at that weight, so all of the best athletes are in it.
“It’s daunting, but also quite exciting to be able to say that that’s what we want and that we might actually have a chance of achieving it.”
Yes, Grant will be competing in the Paris Olympics.
She will represent Team GB in the lightweight double sculls – as she did in 2021 when she finished fourth with Craig.
The Games officially kicks off on Friday, July 26 and culminates on Sunday, August 11.
But the lightweight rowing double sculls will get underway on Sunday, July 28.
With the final three days later on July 31.
