Rebecca Edwards: Tyrone woman strikes gold after fearing rowing career was over

Aughnacloy rower Rebecca Edwards helped the Great Britain eight win World Cup gold in Lucerne last weekend

If life had turned out a little differently Rebecca Edwards may have been playing football for Northern Ireland.

"That was the original dream," she says. "I was never going to be good enough to play for Northern Ireland, but I wanted to be a footballer, and then rowing came along and here we are."

The 29-year-old from County Tyrone has achieved much in her sporting career including selection for Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics and just last weekend a gold medal at the World Cup in Lucerne in the women's eight.

But away from the bright lights of the major events that the sporting public only get to see on an infrequent basis, behind the scenes elite sport can be a rollercoaster ride and this year Edwards has had to face those challenges head on.

An illness early in the new year saw her miss blocks of training and the fatigue it caused meant it took months for her to return to a full schedule.

That had the knock-on effect of missing out on selection, already a tough enough proposition for one of the top nations in world rowing where success is expected. For Edwards the self-doubt almost became overwhelming.

'I asked myself do I quit?'

"So, I had one day when I asked myself, do I quit?" she adds. "Was last season the peak of what I can achieve? It was the darkest time I'd had in rowing, but I do believe that when you have those really low points it has to be balanced out with the good, so I just thought 'hold on'."

She continued: "When I went to the Europeans as a spare there were seven weeks between then and the Lucerne World Cup and I set that as my challenge.

"In seven weeks could I get myself back to full health and recovery and mentally can I make sure I'm enjoying this again and physically I'm I rowing better than I have been?

"Then Sunday happened, I don't know how I had that belief in myself, I really don't, but I did, and it means so much that it paid off.

"There have been a lot of challenges and I'm not saying I'm the only athlete who has challenges, every athlete does, but this year, mentally, I've been pushed right to the limit.

"There was a time when I thought, maybe that's it Rebecca, and I really considered my options because when you have an illness and the fatigue and your body isn't working the way you're used to, that is mentally draining as well.

"You're thinking I can do this, but why can't I do this at the moment and that's challenging."

Rebecca Edwards (front right) helped the British eight win European Championship silver in Munich last year

As well as being an Olympian, Edwards had a silver medal from the 2022 Europeans tucked away but there are no selection guarantees in the GB squad and for most of this season she has had to watch from the banks as her team-mates have won World Cup and European medals.

A fledging partnership with Chloe Brew has been developing in the women's pair and the duo won at the Henley Royal Regatta and were looking forward to making their World Cup debut in Switzerland until an injury to Samantha Redgrave saw a seat in the women's eight open up and Edwards stepped in.

Great Britain won the gold, beating the Olympic champions Canada.

Yet with the World Championships in Belgrade to come in September, that double up as the main qualification regatta for the Paris Olympics next summer, Edwards knows that from next week when the squad begin their preparations, selection will once again have to be earned. However, the rejuvenated Tyrone woman is up for the battle.

Even back at home for a few days off, she was still working hard on the rowing machine in the barn on the family farm.

"Yeah, absolutely, I know myself very well and after the challenges of this year to turn around and win Henley and then to have won that gold medal I know I can come through anything," she says.

"And yes, there will be testing to come and more challenges and the trials to come next year but I'll know that going into that I have those two wins behind me and that gives me confidence.

"I'm under no illusion that everyone is going to be using hard for those seats in the boat and for the medals, so it won't be easy at all."

Edwards 'shocked' by BEM honour

Edwards was also shocked to receive a BEM in the recent Kings' Birthday Honours list, initially believing it was a scam but it also helped her regain that self-belief.

"You don't know who nominated you so thank you to whoever it was," she adds. "It came at a time when I was trying to find that belief in myself again and it crossed my mind that someone really believes in me enough to nominate me for this.

"So if they can believe in me, I can believe in me too, so it did really mean a lot."

When the successes come, they are celebrated and shared with family and friends.

"Nobody ever thought I was going to be a rower, I always wanted to be an athlete, but I only picked rowing up at university so when I achieve these things it means so much to me because I'm completing my dreams," she adds.

"It means a lot to my family. I get so much support from here and mum and dad and get so many messages. And the girls at the football club in Aughnacloy say to me 'oh you're so brilliant and you inspire me' and I want them to know that they can do whatever it is they aspire to be.

"It is about the winning because it's sport and it's competitive, but it means more than that."

Football's potential loss has been rowing's gain. Edwards has Paris in her sights next summer and whatever the highs and lows that lie between now and then, no challenge appears too big for her to overcome.

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