Tom James MBE
Following his Olympic victory Tom decided on a 'year out' from training and during the 2009 season undertook a variety of charity, coaching and work-related activities and ran the London Marathon. He is now back in training and looking forward to the 2010 competitive season.
Tom was selected in the men's four for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and won the gold medal. He was awarded an MBE in the 2009 New Year's Honours list in recognition of his achievement.
In 2008 he won his seat in the men's four but unfortunately had to step out for the first and second World Cups due to an injury. He placed 2nd in the last World Cup of the season in Poznan.
Tom made his GB Senior team debut as a 19 year old in 2003, winning his place in the men's eight and stroking it to a bronze medal at the World Rowing Championships in Milan.
Tom took up rowing after a knee injury meant he had to give up running. He won his 1st GB junior vest in the eight in Duisburg in 2001, winning a bronze medal in a thrilling finish. In 2002 he was selected in the four for the World Rowing Junior Championships which took the lead with 250m to go in the final but were pipped on the line, taking a well–deserved silver medal.
The 2003 eight improved throughout the season and showed their class at the World Rowing Championships in Milan by qualifying for the final and the Athens Olympics by taking second place in their semi final, splitting the 2002 silver and bronze medallists. In the final they raced in a leading pack of three, finishing with a very creditable bronze medal.
Tom was third in the 2004 GB Rowing Team Senior Trials in the men's pair and went on to compete in all three World Cups in the men's eight. In Athens he was part of the eight which took 9th place overall. He could not compete in the semi–final because of illness but returned to stroke the boat for the B Final.
In 2005 he took a year away from GB rowing to concentrate on his studies as an engineering student at Cambridge. He has raced four times in the Cambridge Blue Boat in the University Boat Race – in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. In his final year as Cambridge President, Tom finally tasted victory for the first time.
In 2006 he was selected in the men's pair late in the season because of his academic commitments. Racing with Colin Smith they had a dramatic race at the Lucerne World Cup Regatta narrowly losing to the New Zealand World Champions, to take silver. At the World Rowing Championships in Eton they qualified for the A final finishing 6th.
