Intro

Jess Leyden became the first ever GB woman to win an international single sculls title when she took gold at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2013.

This followed two previous appearances at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2011 and 2012 in the quad (JW4x), when she finished seventh on both occasions.

After just one year in the U23 team, when she came fourth in the single (BW1x) at the 2014 Worlds, she joined the senior team for the 2015 season, finishing fourth at the Europeans and eighth at the Worlds in the quad sculls (W4x).

In 2016, she came fifth at the European Championships in the W4x, but took gold at the U23 Championships in the double sculls with Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne.

Back in the W4x in 2017, she had her first senior championships podiums, winning bronze medals at both the Europeans and Worlds after a season disrupted by injury. In 2018 her quad was fifth at the Worlds, and in 2019 they were fifth at the Europeans and sixth at the worlds.

On to 2022 and she is back in the W4x, finishing fourth at World Cup I, where the crew also raced in two doubles; Jess and Lucy Glover finishing just behind their quad crewmates Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw. The W4x then took silver at World Cup III and a fantastic gold at the European Rowing Championships.

 

On The Water

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

Leyden was once again selected in the women’s quad scull at the start of the 2016 season along with Holly Nixon, Tina Stiller and Rosamund Bradbury. They finished fourth at the World Cup in Varese and fifth at the European Championships in Brandenburg before heading to the final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne. The top two went to Rio but, despite a valiant effort, the GB crew had to settle for fourth overall.

She and Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne then formed an extremely impressive women’s double scull at the 2016 World Rowing U23 Championships in Rotterdam. Clear-water winners in both their heat and semi-final, they produced another top-class display of sculling in the final to take gold in emphatic fashion.

Leyden had earned her first senior selection in 2015 after finishing fourth in the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials. She raced in the women’s quad throughout the year and stroked the boat – which also included Melanie Wilson, Tina Stiller and Beth Rodford – to fourth place at the European Championships in Poznan, just two-tenths of a second shy of a podium place.

The quad then placed seventh and sixth at the Varese and Lucerne World Cups respectively before, with Frances Houghton replacing Rodford, finishing eighth at the World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, narrowly missing out on qualifying the boat for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the first attempt.

Leyden had announced herself as one to watch at the 2013 World Rowing Junior Championships in Trakai. She produced a tremendous performance to win GB’s first gold medal of all-time in the women’s single sculls, finishing three seconds clear of her nearest rival in the final.

Another outstanding display at the 2014 World U23 Championships in Varese saw her finish just outside the medals. That performance earned Leyden selection as a spare for the senior World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

Leyden made her GB debut in the 2011 J16 match against France, comfortably winning her single sculls race, before heading to the World Rowing Junior Championships at Eton Dorney – a test event for the London 2012 Olympic Games. She and the quad raced well and finished seventh overall after winning the B final.

It was a similar story at the following year’s World Rowing Junior Championships in Plovdiv, with the quad again finishing seventh.

GB Competitive Record

Year	Event	Position	Boat
2022	World Rowing Championships Racice, CZE	Bronze	W4x
2022	European Rowing Championships Munich, GER	Gold	W4x
2022	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	Silver	W4x
2022	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Bronze	W2x
2022	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	4	W4x
2019	World Rowing Championships Linz Ottensheim, AUT	6	W4x
2019	World Rowing Cup III Rotterdam, NED	4	W4x
2019	European Rowing Championships Lucerne, SUI	5	W4x
2018	World Rowing Championships Plovdiv, BUL	5	W4x
2018	World Rowing Cup II Linz Ottensheim, AUT	1 (FB Final)	W4x
2017	World Rowing Championships Sarasota-Bradenton, USA	Bronze	W4x
2017	European Rowing Championships Racice, CZE	Bronze	W4x
2017	World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB	Bronze	W4x
2016	World Rowing Under 23 Championships Rotterdam, NED	Gold	BW2x
2016	FISA European and Final Olympic Qualification Regatta Lucerne, SUI	4	W4x
2016	European Rowing Championships Brandenburg, GER	5	W4x
2016	World Rowing Cup I Varese, ITA	4	W4x
2015	World Rowing Championships Aiguebelette, FRA	2 (FB Final)	W4x
2015	World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI	6	W4x
2015	World Rowing Cup II Varese, ITA	1 (FB Final)	W4x
2015	European Rowing Championships Poznan, POL	4	W4x
2014	World Rowing U23 Championships Varese, ITA	4	BW1x
2013	World Rowing Junior Championships Trakai, LTU	Gold	JW1x
2012	World Rowing Championships Plovdiv, BUL	1 (FB Final)	JW4x
2011	World Rowing Junior Championships Eton, GBR	1 (FB Final)	JW4x

More Info

Club: Leander Club
Boat: Women’s Squad
Role: Rower
Coaches: Ian John
Learnt to Row: Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club
Original Club(s): Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club
Original Coach(es): Ian John

Beyond The Boat

Growing up Leyden was always interested in equestrian but, at the age of 12, she had a horse riding accident which left her unable to fully straighten her right arm.

When she turned 13, her PE teacher introduced her to rowing through the successful British Rowing Project Oarsome junior programme – launched by Sir Steve Redgrave and funded by Sport England – at Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club.  While enjoying participating in both sports, Leyden realised that rowing was something she wanted to take further than club level. She went on to win her first ‘pot’ at the Agecroft Head of the River.

She is Lottery funded through UK Sport.

Personal information

Place of Birth	Current Address	Home Town	Region
Burnley	Todmorden	Todmorden	West Yorkshire

Date of Birth	Weight	Height
22nd February 1995	71kg	174cm