Kingsley named new British Rowing director of performance

Louise Kingsley has been appointed as the new director of performance of British Rowing, becoming the first female to take the role since the advent of lottery funding.

Kingsley had served as interim director of performance following the resignation of Brendan Purcell, who oversaw Team GB's worst Olympic return since the 1970s in Tokyo this summer.

GB finished 14th in the medals table, failing to win a gold for the first time since 1980, with Purcell stepping down from his post in October.

Kingsley takes over having previously served as the deputy director of performance pathways and Paralympic programme, leading the Para GB rowing team to two golds in Tokyo.

She said: "I'm thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead this programme. I've gained invaluable experience through leading our successful Paralympic programme and more recently as interim director of performance, building solid relationships with our staff, athletes and stakeholders, which will help in my step up to director of performance.

"Looking ahead, it's an exciting time for the GB rowing team, with funding for the next cycle secured plus all the learnings and positive experiences from the last few cycles will help us evolve into a contemporary and world-leading programme. This starts with the recruitment of new Olympic head coaches, so my immediate priority will be on this as we look ahead to Paris."

British Rowing chair Mark Davies, who chaired an interview panel that included two-time Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, said: "Louise is a highly-experienced and talented leader, and we are delighted to have her as our new director of performance. She beat a field of 12 high-quality applications from a host of sports and from across the world, and a shortlist of five, in a robust, two-stage process."

Sportsbeat 2021