Gregg Stevenson and Lauren Rowles Belgrade CREDIT Benedict Tufnell — Gregg Stevenson and Lauren Rowles row in a male-female competition called the mixed double sculls (Picture: Benedict Tufnell)

Sport

Ex-soldier Gregg Stevenson claims victory for GB at World Rowing Cup in Poland

Former Royal Engineer Gregg Stevenson and teammate Lauren Rowles have claimed victory for Great Britain in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls at the World Rowing Cup in Poland.

Afghanistan veteran Stevenson and partner Rowles rowed superbly to finish ahead of the German crew in second place, with the Netherlands in third.

The pair will now head into this year's Paralympic Games in Paris as the two-time defending European champions and the defending World Champions and are tipped to be the favourites to win gold in the French capital this summer.

Back in April the duo retained their European title in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls at the European Rowing Championships in Szeged in Hungary.

Stevenson joined the GB rowing squad in 2023 and has gone from strength to strength, having also won the European title with Rowles last year.

Stevenson lost both legs in an improvised explosive device blast while on patrol in Helmand Province in 2009.

He later became a qualified mental health practitioner and came close to making GB's para-rowing team for the 2016 Paralympics before initially retiring from rowing in 2018 until he returned to the water swiftly and successfully in 2022.

He was named as the male 2023 Athletes' Athlete of the Year, an award by the British Elite Athletes Association earlier this year.