Erin Mairead Kennedy (née Wysocki-Jones; born 5 August 1992) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

coxswain The coxswain ( or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the wiktionary:cockboat, cockboat, a ...

with the GB Rowing Team. Kennedy is a three time World Champion, three time European Champion and World Best Time holder in the PR3 Mixed

coxed four A coxed four, abbreviated as a 4+, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...

. In 2022, Kennedy was diagnosed with

Triple Negative Breast Cancer Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is any breast cancer that either lacks or shows low levels of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression and/or gene amplification (i.e ...

aged 29 and used her platform to raise awareness of early detection whilst continuing to compete for Great Britain. She competed at the 2022 Rowing World Cup in

Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, winning Gold just four days after her diagnosis and won the 2022 European Championships in

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

whilst on

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

. Following treatment, she returned to international competition in May 2023 and went on to retain her

Title in September 2024. Kennedy was awarded an MBE for Services to Rowing in the 2022 New Year Honours list. She was then awarded an OBE for in the 2024 New Year Honours list for Services to Rowing and Breast Cancer Awareness.

Personal life

Kennedy was born in Plymouth and grew up in Wantage, Oxfordshire. She attended

King Alfred's Academy King Alfred's Academy is a comprehensive co-educational secondary school in Wantage, Oxfordshire, administered as an academy. It is named after King Alfred the Great, who ruled Wessex from 871 to 899 and was born in Wantage in 849 AD. The schoo ...

and studied History and English at Pembroke College,

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. Kennedy is married to Major Sam Kennedy, and lives in Henley-on-Thames. She is an active breast cancer campaigner and is closely aligned to the charity

Coppafeel CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity based in London

, whom she credits with her early diagnosis.

Career

Early Career (2011–2016)

Kennedy began rowing at

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

, and in her third year in the sport, coxed the

Blue Boat The Blue Boat is the highest level boat representing the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge in the universities' annual rowing races on the River Thames, The Boat Race and Women's Boat Race. As of 2016, the women's first VIII ...

in the 2014

Women's Boat Race The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing (sport), rowing race between Cambridge University Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the The Boat Races 2015, 20 ...

, winning in record time and earning a

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

in the process. Kennedy moved to cox for

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior ...

, in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

where she is still a member now.

Tokyo Games Cycle (2017–2021)

Kennedy first represented Great Britain in the Women's 8+ at the 2017 European Championships in Račice, Czech Republic finishing fourth. Kennedy then returned to the international stage at the 2018 World Championships in the PR3 Mix 4+, winning her first Gold with a crew of Oliver Stanhope, Daniel Brown,

Grace Clough Grace Elizabeth Sorrel Clough (born 21 June 1991) is a former British Paralympic rower who competed in the mixed coxed four event. She won multiple gold medals at the World Rowing Championships and World Rowing Cup alongside a gold at the 2016 S ...

and

Ellen Buttrick Ellen Frances Buttrick (born 3 August 1995) is a British Paralympic rower who competes in the mixed coxed four. Buttrick was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours ar ...

. In 2019, Kennedy and her crew, consisting of Oliver Stanhope,

Giedrė Rakauskaitė Giedrė Rakauskaitė (born 13 June 1991 in Kaunas) is a British Paralympic rower who is a quadruple World champion in the mixed coxed four. She won a gold medal in the mixed cox four at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Rakauskaitė was appointed M ...

and

James Fox James William Fox (born William Fox; 19 May 1939) is an English actor known for his work in film and television. Fox's career began in the 1960s through roles in films such as '' The Servant'' and ''Performance''. He is also known for his role ...

set a new World Best Time at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim, Bulgaria in the PR3 Mix 4+ of 6:49.24 while also claiming a qualification place for

Tokyo 2020 The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. The crew held the Guinness World Record for the fastest row in the PR3 Mix 4+ and were featured in the 2021 Book of

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

. Kennedy was later part of the crew that broke her own world best time with a new standing time of 6:47.29 in the A Final of the 2023 World Rowing Cup II in

Varese Varese ( , ; or ; ; ; archaic ) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 was 80,559. It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or exurban part ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Following a postponement of the Tokyo Games and all international racing in 2020, Kennedy and the same crew of 2019 won the 2021 European Championships in Varese, Italy. In 2021, Kennedy along with Oliver Stanhope,

and

won the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

, making it 11 years unbeaten for the GB Crew.

Paris Games Cycle (2022–2024)

Kennedy returned to international competition in May 2022, winning the Rowing World Cup I in

with a new crew of Oliver Stanhope, Edward Fuller,

and

Francesca Allen Francesca "Frankie" Allen (born 26 May 2002) is a British adaptive rower who competes in international rowing competitions. She is a three-time World champion and three-time European champion in the mixed coxed four. She has been selected to co ...

. This gold medal was the final FISA medal which Kennedy not previously won. Later, she revealed she had flown to compete the day after being diagnosed with Breast Cancer, winning a gold just four days later. Kennedy continued with the same crew to compete at the 2022 European Championships in

and won her second European title whilst on

. She revealed to the BBC that she would be taking a break from the sport to focus on her health. In 2023, Kennedy returned to international competition exactly a year to the day after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. With a new crew of Edward Fuller, Morgan Fice-Noyes,

and

she won the 2023 European Championships in

Bled, Slovenia Bled (; ,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 146. in older sources also ''Feldes'') is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper Carniolan regio ...

. With the same crew, a new World Best Time was set of 6:47.29 in the A Final of the 2023 World Rowing Cup II in

. The crew went on to win the 2023 World Championships in

and qualify the boat for the 2024 Paris Games. The crew helped Great Britain top the Medal Table and make it 13 years unbeaten. In 2024, there was a new addition to the crew in Josh O'Brien and the crew had a successful build up to Paris, winning Gold at the European Championships in

Szeged, Hungary Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

and also won Gold at the 2024 World Rowing Cup III in Poznan, Poland. Great Britain set a new World Best Time in the heat, clocking 06:43.68 and booking a place in the A Final. On 1 September 2024, Kennedy's team, including Edward Fuller, Josh O'Brien,

and

, won the Paralympic Games representing Great Britain, ahead of the USA in second place and France in third.

Awards

Kennedy was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2021 New Year Honours The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for Services to Rowing. Kennedy was subsequently Honoured with

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2024 New Year Honours The 2024 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

for Services to Rowing and Breast Cancer Awareness.

References

External links

*
Erin Kennedy OBE
at

British Rowing British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews represent ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Erin 1992 births Living people People from Wantage Paralympic rowers for Great Britain British female rowers Rowers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Rowers at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in rowing Paralympic gold medalists for Great Britain Sportspeople from Plymouth, Devon Officers of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford British coxswains (rowing) Breast cancer Cancer awareness