Rowan McKellar

Tokyo Olympian Rowan McKellar is reigning World Champion in the women's coxless four (W4-).

A child of rowing parents, she learned to row at Broxbourne RC in 2004. A University of California, Berkeley graduate, Rowan opened her international rowing career with an outstanding silver medal in the women’s pairs (BW2-) with Holly Norton at the 2015 World Rowing U23 Championships. The following year, 2016, she raced in the U23 women’s four (BW4-) and finished fourth.

After making her senior debut in the 2017 season, in 2018 Rowan claimed World Cup silver in the women’s eight (W8+) and bronze with Hattie Taylor in the pair (W2-). She was selected in the eight for the 2019 season, winning European silver and World Cup bronze medals, before finishing fifth at the World Championships.

After moving into the women’s four (W4-) in 2021, Rowan won bronze at the European Rowing Championships before finishing an agonisingly close fourth at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Still in the four for 2022, she has enjoyed an unbeaten season, taking gold at World Cup I and III regattas, at the European Rowing Championships where her crew doubled up into the eight, adding a silver medal to their collection, and at the World Rowing Championships.

In 2023, she remained in the new-look women’s four, which won the silver medal at the European Rowing Championships.