Aughnacloy's Rebecca gets the call!

Aughnacloy woman is off to Paris 2024 Olympic Games

AUGHNACLOY'S rowing champion Rebecca Edwards is going to make a second appearance at the Olympic Games!

Edwards is part of a 42-strong rowing squad who have been selected, across 10 boats, to represent Team GB.

Also selected from Northern Ireland are Belfast’s Rebecca Shorten and Coleraine’s Hannah Scott.

All three are featuring at their second Games having made their debuts at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.

Edwards, part of an inexperienced women’s eight in Tokyo, is teaming up with close friend Chloe Brew in the pairs this time around.

Despite them having been a part of different crews in 2023, it is a well-established combination with Brew and Edwards having won together in the pair at the famous Henley Royal Regatta.

“We’ve got a little bit of history and we’re really good friends,” said Edwards. “We really respect each other as athletes and people and I know that when we get to Paris, we’ll be giving 100%, whatever the outcome is.”

She added: “Selection for a second Olympics is incredible. I always believed I could do it and I’m proud of myself for sticking through the hard times and for enjoying the good times and it’s so rewarding to feel I’ve got to this point.

"Chloe is my best friend in rowing, we live together, we row together so sharing this with her is pretty special and we are ready for it!”

Rebecca’s proudest moment was winning World Cup gold in the Women’s eight in Lucerne in 2023, while Chloe’s father, Paul, swam for Team GB at Seoul 1988.

“The Olympic experience in this squad is huge, and I have no doubt it will be an asset to those rowers who will make their Olympic debut in Paris this summer,” said Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England.

“Our rowers have posted some outstanding results this season and I am sure the crews will relish the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of their friends, family, and Team GB fans.”

Of the 23 women and 19 men in Team GB’s rowing squad, 50% are making their Olympic debut and 50% are returning Olympians, including the Northern Irish trio.

Shorten finished fourth as part of the women’s four at Tokyo 2020 and is the only returning member of that crew that will feature in the French capital.

The 30-year-old will race alongside Samantha Redgrave - no relation to Sir Steve - and Esme Booth, who has stepped in this year after impressing in the pair and the eight in 2023.

The fourth member of the crew is two-time Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover, who is aiming to become the first British mum-of-three to win a medal at the Games.

“We’ve done a really good job at finding our rhythm,” said Shorten. “Tokyo was a hard result but we didn’t have as much time together as a crew as what we have this time.

“The past year we have really cemented the crew, we’ve been able to go to races and prove that we have locked it in.”

By the same token, Scott is the sole survivor in the women’s quad that took seventh place at the last Games.

She has built a fearsome combination with Olympic first-timers Georgie Brayshaw, Lauren Henry and Lola Anderson, who head to Paris as reigning world and European champions.

“In Tokyo I was quite young, the youngest in the team at that point,” said Scott. “Leaving that, I knew I wanted to come back and use that experience to then get success with it.

“My driving force has just been aiming for the best performance we can get and seeing what that is.”

The trio will benefit from Aldi’s Nearest & Dearest programme in Paris, which helps maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance and make the most of the unique opportunity to compete on one of the world’s largest stages.

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.