Rowan McKellar

A child of rowing parents and the youngest of four children who all rowed as well, Rowan was born in Glasgow but learnt to row at Broxbourne Rowing Club in 2004.

She took part in her first race aged 10 on the river Clyde rowing in the ‘Generation Doubles’ with her dad.

Rowan made her Olympic debut in the Women’s four at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games. She became Women’s four European and World Champion in 2022. At the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, she won a bronze medal in the women’s four, qualifying the boat for Paris 2024.

Rowan graduated from the University of California with a degree in sociology. In 2024 she was selected to participate in the UK Sport Powered by Purpose programme which is designed to empower athletes to make a difference to society through a series of workshops and mentoring sessions that help them learn how to use their voice and influence for the greater good. She is also using her experience to mentor aspiring athletes as part of the True Athlete Project Global Mentoring Programme.