Laurence Whiteley retires from rowing after double Paralympic success

Two-time Paralympic champion Laurence Whiteley has retired from the GB Rowing Team. After a nine year career in the sport, the 30-year-old is stepping away to pursue “a new direction”. Ad/> Having waited to find the right partner for 18 months, Whiteley teamed up with Lauren Rowles in 2015, and it proved to be a dream pairing in the PR2 Mixed Double Sculls.

ParalympicsJawad calls to tackle doping at Paralympics29/03/2022 AT 12:01 The next year they were on top of the podium at the Paralympics in Rio, having fought off competition from the Chinese and French pairs on the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in Brazil. Whiteley and Rowles became World Champions in 2019 and European Champions in 2021, before enjoying yet more Paralympic success. At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, the duo obliterated the competition, to take gold.

They finished five seconds ahead of their nearest competitors from the Netherlands in the final. /> Speaking about his decision to step away from the sport, Whiteley said, “I’ve had a wonderful career with many memorable achievements and experiences. I’m grateful for the support of Paralympics GB and the people I’ve worked with at British Rowing.” “Rowing the PR2 Mixed double with Lauren was special and she is destined for great things in our sport”, he said.