Brian Armstrong – Lifetime Achievement Award
Chris Baillieu MBE, recently appointed Chairman of sports coach UK, introduced the Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Coaching Awards presentation Dinner, held in London on Tuesday 8th December.
The Chairman said of Brian Armstrong, a fellow oarsman, “This award goes to a man who started his rowing career at the age of 16 at Talkin Tarn Rowing Club, near his home town of Brampton in Cumbria. As his career as a chartered surveyor progressed he subsequently became a member of four more clubs, including his university at Newcastle, and progressed to coaching (as well as becoming captain) at all five!
His career moved up a notch when he was apprentice to Bob Janousek, one of the architects of Britain’s resurgence in international rowing, in the early 1970s, and then became coach to the GB men’s lightweight team in 1983-84.
He then moved into team management, taking charge of Britain’s increasingly successful rowers at no less than 12 world championships and three Olympic Games (1988-1996). After his retirement he started coaching at Leander in 1997 and has since guided many raw recruits to greatness, including many Henley wins.”
Di Ellis CBE, Chairman of British Rowing, said she was delighted that Brian’s enormous contribution to rowing had been so publicly recognised through the UK Coaching Lifetime Achievement Award, “Brian represents one of the unsung heroes of our sport through a lifetime’s dedication in helping others achieve their ambitions in a sport that he so obviously loves.”
The winner of the UK Coaching Awards, Performance Development Coach of the Year, for his expertise in developing the most successful GB Junior rowing team was Richard Boulton. Read more on GB Rowing news here
