An Oxford Brookes University student has been selected to row for Great Britain in this summer’s Paralympic Games.
Oxford Brookes University Boat Club (OBUBC) member Frankie Allen will be making her Paralympics debut, as part of the ParalympicsGB rowing squad of ten athletes selected for the upcoming games.
Physiotherapy student Ms Allen, who is from Wallingford in Oxfordshire, has been selected to row in the ‘Mixed Coxed Four’, along with two Tokyo Olympics gold medallists, Giedre Rakaskaite, and coxswain Erin Kennedy.
ParalympicsGB’s squad of five women and five men will be competing in four different boat categories.
The 22-year-old said: “After all the hard work and long hours of training, earning selection for the Paralympic Games is a dream come true.
“I’d like to express how grateful I am to the Physiotherapy Department at Oxford Brookes for the support and flexibility they have given me in juggling my time between rowing aspirations and study commitments.
“The coaching and support I have received from OBUBC has been invaluable in my journey to Paralympic Games selection.
"The elite level training that I have experienced at OBUBC has hugely helped in making the transition into training with the GB Para team, and has helped me to build a great level of resilience and motivation.”
The Paralympic Games take place from August 28 to September 8, with the rowing events happening over three days at the Vaires-sur-Marne nautical Stadium in eastern Paris.
Ms Allen and her crewmates will take to the water for the first time on August 30 for the heats.
Then if successful, the finals will be held on September 1.
Alongside her rowing commitments at Oxford Brookes, Ms Allen has been studying Physiotherapy since 2020.
Shortly after starting her studies, she trialled for the GB team, and alongside her paralympic teammate, Giedre Rakaskaite, became the first woman in sports history to win two World Championship titles in one regatta.
The pair became double World Champions in the Mixed Fours and PR3 Women’s Pair at the World Rowing Championships of 2022, while also breaking a world record in the Mixed Four race.
Then in 2023, Ms Allen was again part of the 'Mixed Four' crew, and they broke their own world record at the World Rowing Cup II 2023 and also defended their World Rowing Championship title from 2022.
Richard Spratley, director of rowing at OBUBC, said: “It has been a joy to coach Frankie and watch her grow into a world-class rower.
"We are very lucky to have her at our university rowing club.
“To now see Frankie achieve selection for the GB Para Rowing Team is something we are immensely proud of, but not surprised to see given her talent, fantastic work ethic, and determination to succeed.
"We will all be watching with great pride when she takes to the water in Paris.”
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