Anderson targeting coveted quad spot in Paris

Rower Lola Anderson wants to get her favourite band back together after storming to a statement victory at the British Olympic Trials.

Anderson's usual terrain is part of the quadruple or double sculls crews but she had to fly solo in taking singles sculls victory, a crucial milestone on the road to Paris 2024.

The 25-year-old passed the test with flying colours but insists her best chances of Olympic glory lie in reforming the crew which won World Championship gold in September.

"I would love to get a seat in the quad," she said.

"I was in the boat that qualified and we had a great season finishing off with a win, but I don't personally think I was at my best.

"I had two back injuries after a really good start to the year and had to fight to get to the end of the season.

"I'm still building up from that injury so I would like to believe I'll be stronger than I was last summer and that I can bring more to that boat.

"I would love to get that seat back and show what more that boat can do."

Anderson joined forces with Hannah Scott, Lauren Henry and Georgie Brayshaw to secure Great Britain's first women's quad sculls gold in 13 years as they edged out Netherlands and Olympic champions China in Belgrade.

And she is adamant the team has what it takes to repeat the trick in the French capital.

"I believe that all the girls from the quad want to be back in that boat because we believe it's a special crew or that regardless of who is in that boat, they can achieve a spectacular result," she said.

"But we're not a team that gets lazy and takes things for granted.

"We'll continue to work hard and that means we push each other and don't get cocky or confident, so everyone is in a good position but still hungry to achieve more."

Anderson has been long earmarked for success at the top level, having competed at a Rowing World Cup event in 2021 as part of a young 'Project Paris' squad.

A gold medallist at the Under-23 World Championships two years prior, she has already enjoyed a fine career but is determined to soak up as much knowledge as possible from her more experienced peers.

"I think you've always got to be pretty open-minded, no matter what you've achieved," she said.

"Everyone will chip in and try to help and you can't only take performance tips from one coach, you have to respect everyone in the building and once you do that, you can get a lot of free speed."

Subject to selection, Anderson's path to Paris will continue at April's World Cup event in Italy, with minimal crew changes expected thereafter.

Despite her red-hot form, she is not allowing herself to think too much about a potential Paris medal.

"I wouldn't ever say that I expect a certain result," she added.

"I know what I'm capable of and want to execute but I'm never going to write a boat from another international country.

"We had a really strong end of season and that has put us in a really strong position mentally in terms of our confidence for next year."

British Rowing is the governing body for the sport and is responsible for the development of rowing in England and the training and selection of rowers to represent Great Britain. The GB Rowing Team is supported by the National Lottery Sports Fund. To find out more, and to follow the team, head to https://britishrowing.org/

Sportsbeat 2023