Ruth Walczak

Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016

Ruth finished 2015 on a high by winning lightweight women’s quadruple scull silver at the World Championships in Aiguebelette with Ellie Piggott, Brianna Stubbs and Emily Craig. The same quartet had won gold at the Holland Beker regatta earlier in the season, with Ruth and Emily also bagging silver in the lightweight double.

After finishing second at the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials, Ruth raced in the lightweight single throughout 2013 and was just outside the medals at all three World Cup regattas. She finally earned a deserved podium place at the World Championships in Chungju, winning bronze.

She improved to silver at the following year’s Aiguebelette World Cup before finishing the season in the lightweight quad with Ellie, Brianna and Charlotte Taylor. They finished eighth in the open-weight category at the World Cup in Lucerne and sixth at the World Championships in Amsterdam.

London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012

Ruth made her third appearance at the World U23 Championships in 2009, finishing fifth in the women’s four. She was then eighth with the quad at the following year’s event in Brest.

On her GB senior debut at the 2012 European Championships in Varese, Ruth and Imogen Walsh won bronze in the lightweight women’s double after just being edged out of second place following a good battle with an experienced pairing from Greece.

Ruth graduated with a 1st Class Honours degree in Product Design from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design.  When not training she puts her degree to good use by working as an intern at 1HQ, a design business based in Windsor.

In her spare time Ruth enjoys cooking and ‘upcycling’ second hand furniture.

Ruth is Lottery Funded through UK Sport.