Bob Hewitt

From TimesOnline:

‘Bob Hewitt can tell you precisely when his life began to change. He was a teenager in Scarborough, ready for another night of hell-raising with his mates, when he heard a quiet voice in his head, the voice of Kevin Barker.

At the time, Hewitt was no more than a part-time oarsman, recruited initially to row in the annual coastal race against Whitby. Barker had a passion for rowing and a sketchy knowledge of the training techniques involved. Yet he knew talent when he saw it and was pretty sure Hewitt had the strength and spirit to take his rowing further than being on board a 30ft wooden clinker at the local regatta. Barker’s broad Yorkshire voice was what Hewitt heard that night.’

The rest of the article can be read at The TimesOnline