Graeme Thomas

Rower // Men's Squad
Club: Agecroft RC
Height: 193cm
Hometown: Preston, Lancashire

Graeme Thomas profile image

Outside the boat Graeme is passionate about the environment and has turned half his garden into a wildflower patch, installed bird houses, bee hotels and bat boxes.

As an athlete representative on the British Rowing sustainability working group he hopes to spread awareness of issues close to the river and beyond.

Graeme was selected for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but was taken ill before the start of the regatta and had to fly home without lifting a blade. He returned for the delayed Tokyo 2022 Games and narrowly missed out on a podium spot in the men’s double sculls. Graeme is hoping to make it third time lucky by being selected for Paris 2024 and compete for that elusive Olympic medal.

Graeme is an ambassador for two organisations in the north west of England; Greater Manchester Youth Rowing and the North West Scouting Association. Goals beyond rowing include becoming a freediving instructor and building an eco house in the countryside.

 

On The Water

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

After finishing runner-up in the GB Rowing Team Trials, Graeme was selected in the men’s quadruple sculls for the 2016 season alongside Peter Lambert, Sam Townsend and Angus Groom. They finished fifth at the European Championships in Brandenburg and qualified for the final at the Lucerne World Cup. Peter had to withdraw through illness on the morning of the race but, with Jack Beaumont subbing in, the quad still won a superb silver medal. They finished off the podium at the Poznan World Cup, though, again having to settle for fifth place.

Graeme was selected in the boat for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but was unfortunately taken ill just days before the regatta began and had to withdraw.

He had raced in the men’s quad throughout the Olympiad and helped to qualify the boat for Rio 2016 with a fourth-placed finish at the 2015 World Championships in Aiguebelette.

That was a good result following a season where injury and illness led to a number of changes to a boat that had been settled for the previous two years. Charles Cousins was injured just before the European Championships in Poznan but Jack Beaumont stepped in to help Graeme, Sam Townsend and Peter Lambert win a fine bronze medal and set a new championship record along the way.

Angus Groom replaced Jack in the quad that won an impressive gold at the World Cup in Varese but illness meant the crew did not race in Lucerne. Charles returned for the World Championships and helped the quad produce a storming second half to their final but they couldn’t quite catch the leading trio.

After beginning 2013 with a gold medal at the Sydney World Cup, the now familiar line-up of Graeme, Sam, Charles and Peter raced together for the first time at Eton Dorney. They finished fifth there before winning bronze at the World Championships in Chungju – the first-ever World medal for a GB men’s quad.

The crew continued to make great strides during 2014, winning silver at the European Championships in Belgrade before adding World Cup gold in both Aiguebelette and Lucerne. Mature and confident performances saw them win their heat and semi-final at the World Championships in Amsterdam to set up a showdown with Ukraine, who had beaten GB to the European title. The final was close-fought but Ukraine were just able to hold off a dramatic late surge from the Brits, who missed out on gold by just nine-hundredths of a second.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

Graeme made the transition to rowing in 2008 while studying for a Biomedical Science Degree at Manchester University.

He had trialled for Sale Sharks’ Academy squad but, despite being 6ft 5in, was not considered physically big enough to play professionally in his preferred position. A friend then suggested he had the attributes to succeed in rowing and he successfully trialled for the GB Rowing Team Start Programme, going on to train under Hamish Burrell at the North West centre.

A breakthrough 2011 season, which included a number of domestic double scull wins, ended with Graeme making his GB Rowing Team debut in that boat at the European Championships in Plovdiv, finishing fifth.

He showed more promise on his World Cup debut in 2012, finishing a fine fourth in the men’s single in Munich. Graeme repeated that result at the European Championships in Varese.

GB Competitive Record

Year Event Position Boat
2022 World Rowing Championships
Racice, CZE
M1x
2022 European Rowing Championships
Munich, GER
5 M1x
2022 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
M1x
2022 World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
M1x
2020 Olympic Games Regatta
Tokyo, JPN
4 M2x
2021 World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
4 M2x
2021 European Rowing Championships
Varese, ITA
M2x
2019 World Rowing Championships
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
4 M2x
2019 World Rowing Cup III
Rotterdam, NED
M2x
2019 World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL
M2x
2019 European Rowing Championships
Lucerne, SUI
4 M2x
2018 World Rowing Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
1 (FB Final) M4x
2018 European Rowing Championships
Glasgow, GBR
6 M4x
2018 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
M4x
2018 World Rowing Cup II
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
1 (FB Final) M4x
2018 World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
M4x
2017 World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA
1 (FB Final) M2x
2016 World Rowing Cup III
Poznan, POL
5 M4x
2016 World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
M4x
2016 European Rowing Championships
Brandenburg, GER
5 M4x
2015 World Rowing Championships
Aiguebelette, FRA
4 M4x
2015 World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA
M4x
2015 European Rowing Championships
Poznan, POL
M4x
2014 World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED
M4x
2014 World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
M4x
2014 World Rowing Cup II
Aiguebelette, FRA
M4x
2014 European Rowing Championships
Belgrade, SRB
M4x
2013 World Rowing Championships
Chungju, KOR
M4x
2013 World Rowing Cup II
Eton, GBR
5 M4x
2013 World Rowing Cup I
Sydney, AUS
M4x
2012 European Championships
Varese, ITA
4 M1x
2012 World Rowing Cup III
Munich, GER
4 M1x
2011 European Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
5 M2x
Year:
2022
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Racice, CZE
Position:
Boat:
M1x
Year:
2022
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Munich, GER
Position:
5
Boat:
M1x
Year:
2022
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
Boat:
M1x
Year:
2022
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
Position:
Boat:
M1x
Year:
2020
Event:
Olympic Games Regatta
Tokyo, JPN
Position:
4
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2021
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
4
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2021
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Varese, ITA
Position:
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2019
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
Position:
4
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2019
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Rotterdam, NED
Position:
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2019
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL
Position:
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2019
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
4
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
Position:
1 (FB Final)
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2018
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Glasgow, GBR
Position:
6
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Linz Ottensheim, AUT
Position:
1 (FB Final)
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2018
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2017
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA
Position:
1 (FB Final)
Boat:
M2x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Poznan, POL
Position:
5
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2016
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2016
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Brandenburg, GER
Position:
5
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2015
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Aiguebelette, FRA
Position:
4
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2015
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2015
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Poznan, POL
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2014
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Aiguebelette, FRA
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2014
Event:
European Rowing Championships
Belgrade, SRB
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2013
Event:
World Rowing Championships
Chungju, KOR
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2013
Event:
World Rowing Cup II
Eton, GBR
Position:
5
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2013
Event:
World Rowing Cup I
Sydney, AUS
Position:
Boat:
M4x
Year:
2012
Event:
European Championships
Varese, ITA
Position:
4
Boat:
M1x
Year:
2012
Event:
World Rowing Cup III
Munich, GER
Position:
4
Boat:
M1x
Year:
2011
Event:
European Championships
Plovdiv, BUL
Position:
5
Boat:
M2x