The rower balancing doctor shifts with regatta

Imogen Grant (right) said balancing rowing with working as a doctor presented some challenges

An Olympic rower is doing a shift as a doctor between races at Henley Royal Regatta.

Imogen Grant MBE, who won gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024, said she was praying there would be no traffic for her drive from Henley, Oxfordshire, to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough.

Grant, who studied at Cambridge University's Trinity College, started her first foundation year as a doctor in August.

She said things were a little different now she was having to juggle rowing with a full-time job.

Grant won gold with teammate Emily Craig

Grant got to Henley at 07:00 BST on Thursday to race the first round of the Princess Royal Challenge Cup.

"I've then got to get off the water, [make the] quickest change ever, hop in my car and drive to work in Slough where I'm working as a doctor at Wexham Park," she said on Thursday morning.

"They weren't able to give me the whole day off - they've let me come in a couple of hours late."

Afterwards, she said she would "pray the traffic's not too bad" and come back to Henley to race the Bridge Challenge Plate with the Cambridge Blue Boat.

Despite the challenges, she said her training had been "good".

"Things have to change a little bit when you're working full time and you sort of have to roll with the punches a little bit," she said.

"But I feel like I'm sculling well and I'm really enjoying everything that I'm doing, so I can't really ask for much more than that."