Ellie Piggott

Rower
Date of Birth: 16th May 1991 (32 years old)
Club: Wallingford RC
Height: 171.00
Hometown: Bedford

Ellie Piggott profile image

Ellie Piggott went into the Tokyo 2020 Olympiad on a high after being crowned as world champion in 2016.

Ellie won gold at the World Rowing U23 Championships in 2013 and has represented the GB Rowing Team at every age level.

She is also a former world university champion and is now well established in the competitive GB lightweight women’s squad. In 2016 she won gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam alongside Brianna Stubbs, Emily Craig and Imogen Walsh.

It was in the lightweight quad that she won a World Cup silver medal in 2017 and went on to finish fourth at the World Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton with Gemma Hall, Maddie Arlett and Robyn Hart-Winks.

Ellie retired from the team in November 2020.

Lightweight rower Ellie has won World titles for GB at the Senior, U23 and University Championships

On The Water

2016

World Champion Lightweight Women's Quadruple Scull

2015

World Silver Medallist Lightweight Women's Quadruple Scull

2013

World U23 Champion Lightweight Women's Double Scull

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

After finishing fourth in the GB Rowing Team Trials, Piggott was selected alongside Emily Craig in the lightweight women’s double scull for the World Cup in Varese. They finished ninth overall, a result repeated when she teamed up with Brianna Stubbs at the Lucerne World Cup.

Piggott, Stubbs and Craig then teamed up with Imogen Walsh in the lightweight women’s quad scull for the World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam. After winning their race for lanes, the GB quartet showed their quality once again in the final to win gold in impressive style.

She also finished 2015 on a high by winning lightweight women’s quad silver at the World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette with Stubbs, Craig and Ruth Walczak. The same quartet had won gold at the Holland Beker regatta earlier in the season.

She also gained more senior experience at the World Cup in Varese, partnering Walsh in a second GB lightweight double scull and finishing just outside the medals after some impressive performances.

Piggott started the Olympiad in fine style as she and Stubbs won a superb gold medal in the lightweight double sculls at the 2013 World Rowing U23 Championships in Linz. They had earlier made their senior debuts together at the World Cup in Eton Dorney, finishing fourth.

The 2014 season saw Piggott and Charlotte Taylor win silver in the second GB double at the Aiguebelette World Cup, with gold going to fellow Brits Kat Copeland and Walsh after an exciting final. Piggott, Taylor, Stubbs and Walsh raced in the lightweight quad for the rest of the season, finishing eighth at the World Cup in Lucerne and sixth at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam.

Brianna Stubbs, Ruth Walczak, Emily Craig and Ellie Piggott won silver in the lightweight women's quad at the 2015 World Championships in Aiguebelette
Charlotte Taylor and Ellie Piggott won lightweight women's double scull silver at the 2014 World Cup in Aiguebelette

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

Piggott won her first GB vest in the J16 match against France in 2007 and then competed at the World Rowing Junior Championships two years later, finishing tenth in the quad.

She competed in the same boat at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships in Amsterdam, placing fifth overall, before finishing seventh in the lightweight double at the 2012 World U23s in Trakai.

In 2012 also took lightweight double gold at the World Universities Championships in, having twice won the Women’s Boat Race with Oxford University.

GB Competitive Record

Year Event Position Boat
2019 World Rowing Cup III
Rotterdam, NED
6 LW2x
2019 World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL
2 (FB Final) LW2x
2019 European Rowing Championships
Lucerne, SUI
4 LW2x
2018 World Rowing Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
5 LW2x
2018 European Rowing Championships
Glasgow, GBR
6 LW2x
2018 World Rowing Cup II
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
2 (FB Final) LW2x
2018 World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
LW2x
2017 World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA
5 LW4x
2017 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
LW4x
2017 World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL
1 (FB Final) LW2x
2016 World Rowing Championships
Rotterdam, NED
LW4x
2016 World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
3 (FB Final) LW2x
2016 World Rowing Cup I
Varese, ITA
3 (FB Final) LW2x
2015 World Rowing Championships
Aiguebelette, FRA
LW4x
2015 World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA
4 LW2x
2014 World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED
6 LW4x
2014 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
2 (FB Final) W4x
2014 World Rowing Cup II
Aiguebelette, FRA
LW2x
2013 Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
BLW2x
2013 World Rowing Cup II
Eton, GBR
4 LW2x
2012 Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Trakai, LTU
1 (FB Final) BLW2x
2011 Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED
5 BLW4x
2009 World Rowing Junior Championships
Brive-la Gaillarde, FRA
4 (FB Final) JW4x
Year:
2019
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Rotterdam, NED
Position:
6
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2019
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL
Position:
2 (FB Final)
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2019
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
4
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
Position:
5
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2018
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Glasgow, GBR
Position:
6
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
Position:
2 (FB Final)
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
Position:
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA
Position:
5
Boat:
LW4x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
Boat:
LW4x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL
Position:
1 (FB Final)
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Rotterdam, NED
Position:
Boat:
LW4x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
3 (FB Final)
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Varese, ITA
Position:
3 (FB Final)
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2015
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Aiguebelette, FRA
Position:
Boat:
LW4x
Year:
2015
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA
Position:
4
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED
Position:
6
Boat:
LW4x
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
2 (FB Final)
Boat:
W4x
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Aiguebelette, FRA
Position:
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2013
Event:
Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
Position:
Boat:
BLW2x
Year:
2013
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Eton, GBR
Position:
4
Boat:
LW2x
Year:
2012
Event:
Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Trakai, LTU
Position:
1 (FB Final)
Boat:
BLW2x
Year:
2011
Event:
Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED
Position:
5
Boat:
BLW4x
Year:
2009
Event:
World Rowing Junior Championships
Brive-la Gaillarde, FRA
Position:
4 (FB Final)
Boat:
JW4x

More info...

Club: Wallingford RC
Boat: Lightweight Women’s Squad
Role: Rower
Coaches: Paul Reedy, Pete Sheppard
Learnt to Row: Bedford High School
Original Club(s): Bedford High School RC; Oxford University Women’s BC
Original Coach(es): Mick Deards, Ben Reed

Beyond the Boat

Piggott was a keen cross-country runner but committed fully to rowing after receiving her first GB vest at the J16 match against France in 2007.

She lives in “a really fun house” in Henley-on-Thames with GB Rowing Team colleague Olivia Carnegie-Brown and Tina Thomas, who she rowed alongside at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships. It has a greenhouse and she has a friendly competition with her dad to see who can grow the most veg. “Last year I had a huge glut of tomatoes, so the pressure is on to repeat that – it’s not looking good so far, though…”

After graduating from Oxford University, she started tutoring maths to help fund her rowing. Despite her commitments since joining the senior squad in 2014, she still makes time to tutor two students a week – “I really enjoy it and it’s a good way to switch off from rowing.”

Relaxation involves a cup of tea, her sofa and a TV box set. Her current favourites are The Good Wife, Suits and Poldark, while Love Actually and About Time are her favourite films. She has a wide taste in music – “Taylor Swift, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Calvin Harris, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran, a bit of everything really.”

Her ideal travel destination is Italy – “I love the food, the weather, the coastline…did I mention the food?” – and her dream dinner party guests are Jenson Button, David Beckham and Jonny Wilkinson, with GB Rowing Team chef Omar Meziane cooking the food.

Piggott is Lottery funded through UK Sport.

Personal information

Place of Birth Current Address Home Town Region
Milton Keynes Henley-on-Thames Bedford London/Thames
Place of Birth:
Milton Keynes
Current Address:
Henley-on-Thames
Home Town:
Bedford
Region:
London/Thames
Date of Birth Weight Height
16th May 1991 57kg 171cm
Date of Birth:
16th May 1991
Weight:
57kg
Height:
171cm
Education
Bedford High School for Girls, Oxford University
Education:
Bedford High School for Girls, Oxford University