Annie Campbell-Orde: “I love the sport and I want to be a part of it”

After racing for the GB Rowing Team for the first time since Paris, Fergus Mainland caught up with Annie Campbell-Orde to hear how it’s been settling back into the team and what she learned in her year away from full-time training

There was a moment while walking out of Washington’s Conibear shellhouse, down to the waters of Union Bay, that had Annie Campbell-Orde reminiscing about a certain Parisian summer.

“Heidi Long, who was sitting behind me, said as we were boating, ‘You know the last time we rowed together…’

“I hadn’t really thought about it, but when she said it, she also said we had a good track record together, so let’s keep it going. I hadn’t registered Paris was my last race with the team as I had done a bit of rowing since then. That made me more excited as it had been a long time coming; it was cool to be back.”

The Olympic bronze medallist raced for Great Britain at the Windermere Cup for the first time since crossing the finish line at Stade nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne. A win by more than three seconds over the University of Washington and the Canadian National team was about as good a return as one can have.

This year’s Windermere Cup was a full-circle moment for the Marlow Rowing Club rower. In 2022, she won the event as part of a British development crew, her first time racing for the GB Rowing Team. Now in 2026, she’s winning again, and back with teammates she stood on the Paris podium with.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Campbell-Orde.

“I was going to say it was a nice way to ease back in, but it most certainly wasn’t! The University of Washington and Canada were fantastic opposition. It was weird, though, as it had been a little while. It was one of those that was very familiar, and a lot of memories came back.”

“The project came together quickly. We had Trials and then a few weeks, which involved constant testing, so it’s been quite a blur and a bit of a whirlwind trying to get there. I love an Eight, though, it’s the boat I’ve done the most, and I do like being a part of a big project. I find it loud, exciting, and good fun.”

After crossing the Olympic finish line, Campbell-Orde took a step back from international rowing. This was an opportunity to reflect on what she achieved, but also giving herself a taste of ‘normal’ life and give herself mental space.

“I got married, which was a huge highlight, and I stayed at my parents’ house for a month just because I could. Stuff like that, which is so normal, not even that exciting, but you do miss when you’re here and away. I’ve been reconnecting with friends, which was definitely an important thing to do.
It was difficult after the Olympics. People talk, but definitely not enough, about how difficult it is to know what to do. You can try and prepare before, but you don’t know if you’re going to be done or not.

“I thought I was done because I didn’t even think I’d go to the Olympics, let alone win an Olympic medal. So, I felt I had done everything.

“I still love the sport, I think I just had enough of the intense pressure. Getting a break allowed you to think about it a bit more rationally, and I don’t think I ever hit a stage where I wasn’t improving . I decided I wanted to see if I could improve more.”

Returning to full-time training is easier said than done, something the Olympic bronze medallist knows all too well. However, with the support from coaches and teammates, Campbell-Orde is already moving her own goalposts of expectations.

“Getting fit again has definitely been the hardest thing; it takes so long to get it back when it goes. That’s been quite frustrating because it doesn’t feel that long ago. I know all my numbers, and I know what I could do, and even now I can’t do those yet.

“I’ve had to be patient, but the coaches have been really good about it, and the staff at Caversham have been helpful, so it’s been easy to come back here, but not that easy to transition back to full-time training.

“I chatted with the coaches, ‘If I’m back on the down, just tell me,’ but I don’t think I ever stopped improving. Obviously, I will soon because I am older, but I wanted to see where I could get to, and I felt I still had something I could give and offer. I wanted to see what that would be, so I gave myself the space to say that I want to go back now and see what happens. That seems less scary to me than going, ‘four years, let’s go!’

With November Trials taking place in the smallest of boats, Campbell-Orde needed to get to grips with an old nemesis, a Single Scull.

“I’m rubbish in a single,” she said with a laugh. However, it’s a boat she’s spent time in before making the transition to the GB Rowing team in the previous Olympiad.

Campbell-Orde first discovered rowing at Loughborough University. Having originally gone there to play netball, she followed the classic tale of being picked out at a Sports Fair for being tall. After rowing recreationally, she spent time at Nottingham Rowing Club while still representing the African Violet at BUCS events.

It’s a fitting time to be taking a trip down memory lane. At last weekend’s racing, Loughborough University Boat Club won five gold medals across the Beginner categories and showcased the strength of the East Midlands Performance Development Academy.

After university, Campbell-Orde stayed in the region but had to turn to a Single Scull after struggling to find someone to trial with. Ultimately, this led to her coach prompting her to travel to Leander Club. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to 2025, and the return to the single was inevitable.

“Marlow Rowing Club were really good to me. My husband rows for the club, and I know a lot of people there, including Jamie Axon, the Head Coach.

“When I stopped rowing, I knew I needed to do something with my life, and they welcomed me in to come and coach. I worked with them, and I thoroughly enjoyed that. It was nice to be a part of the sport, but from a different angle for the rest of the season.

“I rowed with Leander at the start of that season, which was also great, but I decided to have a break. When I decided I wanted to come back, I live in Marlow, the club had been so good to me, and I felt that if I was to come back, it had to be different, and I had to mix things up. I could also walk there, which was super convenient! They’re a lovely club, and I knew I had to do a row a single, so it made sense to try this approach.”

With a win at Windermere under her belt, thoughts naturally turn to the rest of the 2026 season.

“When I first said I was going to come back, I just wanted to be in the team and hopefully go to the races. As the season has developed, my goalposts have moved. I would like to medal at the World Rowing Championships.

“I’ve actually never done that. We were fourth before the Olympics, so I’d love to get a medal in Amsterdam in whatever boat that could be and for the team to do really well.

“They had a great year last year. As the Olympiad progresses, it’s going to get tougher and tougher. It would be cool if we as a team could progress, and I want to be a part of that.”