Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

Hodgkins Byrne finished fourth in the women’s single scull at the 2016 GB Rowing Team Olympic Trials, then won the World, U23 and Junior Trials a couple of weeks later. She was selected as a racing spare for the 2016 European Championships in Brandenburg, Germany and impressed on her senior GB debut as she won the women’s single scull B final to finish seventh overall.

She was again selected as a racing spare for the final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, finishing fourth in her semi-final. She and Jess Leyden then formed an extremely impressive women’s double scull at the 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.

The 2015 season saw Hodgkins Byrne win the B final of the women’s single sculls at the GB Rowing Team Senior and U23 Trials. She had also been the fastest women’s U23 rower at the GB Rowing Team’s Winter Assessment in February 2015.

She was selected to race alongside Georgia Francis in the women’s double sculls at the World  Rowing U23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, finishing fourth overall.

That was her second experience at world under-23 level, having finished fifth in the women’s quad scull at the 2014 Championships in Varese, Italy.

Rowing in a Great Britain U23 composite crew, Hodgkins Byrne won the elite quad sculls event at 2014 Henley Royal Regatta.

She also teamed up with Beth Rodford to finish runners-up in the women’s double sculls at the 2014 British Rowing Senior Championships.

As a member of the Gloucester-Hartpury Start Programme, Hodgkins-Byrne enjoyed quad scull success at the National Schools Regatta, British Rowing Junior Championships and at Henley Royal Regatta in 2013. She was also part of the fastest U23 crew at the British Rowing Senior Championships that year.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

She learnt to row at Hereford RC in 2011 after being told by coach John Griffiths that she had the right build for the sport.

She made her GB Rowing Team debut as part of the women’s quad at the 2012 Coupe de la Jeunesse in Banyoles, Spain.

Hodgkins Byrne passed her A-Levels at Hartpury College in 2014 and is now studying at Reading University.

Her younger sister Charlotte was also Start programme at Gloucester-Hartpury and was part of the British women’s quad scull crew which won bronze at the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships and gold at the 2017 World U23 Championships.