Thomas Aiming For European Redemption After Rio Heartache

Graeme Thomas is seeking redemption at the European Rowing Championships in Glasgow next month – just two years after a virus left his dreams of a medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in tatters.

The 29-year-old was due to race in the men’s quadruple sculls but flew back from Rio without being able to train, let alone compete.

“It’s the only time I’ve ever taken a sleeping pill,” said the Preston-born oarsman, remembering that journey. “I didn’t want to be inside my own head.”

Thomas recovered swiftly but the following season also began badly with a hip injury that required surgery.

By June last year, he was back in a boat, racing the double sculls with Angus Groom who was also recovering from hip surgery.

The duo lacked race experience and missed out on the world championship final. But when Peter Lambert hurt his back in the warm-up for the men’s quadruple sculls final, Thomas had just five minutes’ warning to get ready to race.

He added: “That was one of the craziest things that’s ever happened in rowing,”

“But I’m glad I had so little time. The fact I just jumped in the boat kept it very instinctive. I just let the years of training and racing take over.”

In a race in which no boat managed to break clear, the British quad clung on for silver, less than 0.3 seconds ahead of Estonia.

“It wasn’t a consolation for Rio but it definitely felt like something,” Thomas told www.europeanchampionships.com.

“There was a lot of emotion there. Nobody else knew what Pete was going through like I did, and Pete, for the first time, probably got a feeling of what it was like for me in Rio.”

For the 2018 season, Thomas was selected in the quad with John Collins, Jonny Walton and Tom Barras .

A change to the seating order meant they under-performed at the second world cup regatta of the season, but at the third world cup event in Lucerne, Switzerland, the quartet stormed past the opposition in the closing stages to take gold.

Thomas said: “After a good result in Lucerne, the crew’s probably at an all-time high of confidence. “I’m really looking forward to racing the Europeans. There’s a European title at stake, that’s a big deal.”