University honours ex-student after gold medal win

Trinity College lit up its gate and wrote: "For Imogen, in Paris, the city of light - where your guts, grit and grace made gold."

Cambridge University has honoured Olympic gold medal-winning rower Imogen Grant with a replica medal and illuminations at her former college.

Grant and partner Emily Craig won Great Britain’s second rowing gold of the Paris Olympics with a commanding performance in the women’s lightweight double sculls on Friday.

Grant, 28, started rowing at Trinity College after signing up to join the boat club in exchange for two free drinks during Freshers' Week.

Carpenters at Trinity created a large wooden replica medal which has been hung on the statue of the college's founder, King Henry VIII and the college was lit up on Friday.

Grant and Craig have been rowing together since 2019

Carpenter Jon Squires hung the medal on the statue above the college gate

Grant grew up in Bar Hill, a few miles from Cambridge, and had never even been in a rowing boat before she came to Trinity College in 2014 to study medicine.

She is the first female alumna to win a medal at an Olympics.

Trinity College said Grant's win "inspired" its senior carpenters Jon Squires and Adie Brown to craft the larger-than-life replica gold medal using MDF, plywood and brass screws.

Mr Squires used a cherry picker to place it high up on the statue of Henry VIII on the college's Great Gate.

A set of oars with the blades sprayed gold have also been put on display.

Imogen Grant (left) and Emily Craig have now added the Olympic title to their world and European triumphs

Mr Squires said: "What better way to honour Imogen’s gold medal win than by trying medal-making ourselves?

"Compared to what we usually do, it was definitely something different, and anything different is fun."

It also had its challenges, as although the Paris 2024 medals may look perfect, the fluting around the iron centrepiece is intentionally irregular.

Mr Squires said: "It's more difficult than it sounds to make something look perfectly imperfect, if you see what I mean."

He added: "I've been at Trinity for about 25 years now, and it's particularly moments like these that make me proud to be part of the college community."

Oars were sprayed gold in a college tribute

Master of the college, Dame Sally Davies, said: "We are extremely proud of Imogen’s achievement at the Paris Olympics.

"Together with her rowing partner Emily, Imogen has shown incredible dedication, determination and resilience, as well as superlative organisational skills, juggling her academic and sporting commitments, including through the Covid pandemic."

Neil Talbott, who coached Grant in her early days of rowing at Trinity, said from Paris: "Extraordinary performance to take apart a world-class field.

"Truly outstanding, and fitting that the fastest women's lightweight double in history will be the reigning Olympic champions in this event forever.

"So much love and congratulations from the whole Imogen fan club in the stands here."

Grant and Craig will be the last lightweight doubles champions, with the discipline being replaced by beach sprint rowing at Los Angeles 2028.

Grant is now a qualified doctor, and will begin her foundation year in Slough shortly after the Games close.