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Henley sports fans turned out in the rain to officially welcome home the GB Olympic rowing squad and watch a row past and open top bus parade around town, before attending an exclusive part with Leander Members, friends and family here at the club.
St Sebastian Brass Band from Wokingham led the bus from the Leander through the town, finishing at the town hall. The athletes handed Leander cuddly hippos to youngsters, offered selfies and gave people the chance to hold their medals.
Lola Anderson, Leander Club Captain and Olympic Gold Medallist in the Women’s Quad spoke on behalf of the GB team. She said, “Thank you for all coming out and joining us despite the weather. It’s amazing to see how many people have come out to celebrate with us. A few familiar faces out there; our friends and family, coaches all of which we wouldn’t have had the results without them. Huge congratulations to them as well because these results belong as much to them as they do to us. It has been an amazing summer. To come back and see and hear the support, well, thank you so much for making our summer even more special.”
Erin Kennedy, coxswain for the Team GB rowing team and Paralympic champion, said: “Henley is synonymous with rowing. Leander Club is my home club, so it’s great to be able to celebrate with Leander and come and celebrate with the people of Henley because they really do get behind rowing. Rowing takes over the town more than one week a year and they put up with it very nicely so it’s nice to be able to give something back.”
Emily Ford, bronze medallist in the Women’s Eight added, “It’s amazing to be welcomed back into town which we have all been part of for so long. To see the support that is around us is just amazing and to share the moment with people and for them to get to hold the medal is really wholesome.”
Four-times Olympian, Helen Glover, who won a silver in the Women’s Four said: “The British support is always amazing and Henley is so proud of its rowers and the rowing heritage that we have here. So to have the support here is amazing.”
Henley Mayor, Councillor Rory Hunt made a speech. He said: “However much training they do, for four years of their lives, it comes down to a six-minute race. My God, how well they all did. It is quite remarkable what they and their coaches have achieved. Thank you to the community of Henley for supporting them. It is a bit of a shame that the British weather let us down today but I’m sure that they are all quite used to getting wetter otherwise they would never get any training done in the winter.”
All the athletes, their families and friends then joined Members at a special reception at Leander Club.
