Bedford Girls’ School student Robyn Armstrong was part of the Great Britain women’s junior quadruple sculls crew that claimed double gold at last weekend’s Coupe de la Jeunesse.
Robyn was selected to represent her country in the European team competition after impressing in a series of water and land trials, with Lucy Glover (Warrington RC), Izzy Lingard (Headington School BC) and Lola Anderson (Surbiton High School BC) all joining her in the quadruple sculls boat.
On the first day of competition (Saturday 1st August) in Hungary, Robyn, who was sitting in the two seat, and her teammates won their semi-final comfortably, to book their place in the final.
Leading from start-to-finish, Britain held on in the final quarter of the 2km final to beat The Netherlands to gold by 3/4 of a boat length.
An unchanged GB crew replicated this form the next day (Sunday), advancing from their last four race with ease to enter the final full of confidence. The quartet were in dominate mood, finishing 1.5 boat lengths clear of Poland to win their second gold of the weekend.
"It was an absolutely amazing and unforgettable experience representing my country,” said Robyn, who has rowed for England and GB at junior level for the past three years.
“The hard work leading up to the Coupe was definitely worthwhile and winning gold twice was really the icing on the cake.
“I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my junior racing career, and I’m now looking forward to pushing on at university and in the U23 category.”
The quadruple scullers strong showing in Szeged helped GB win the women’s competition and finish runners-up in the overall standings in the 31st edition of the Coupe de la Jeunesse.
Photo courtesy of Rachel Armstrong
