Giedre Rakauskaite

Started: She began rowing at age 14, and took up Para rowing in 2015. (worcesternews.co.uk, 12 Sep 2017) Reason: She competed in non-Para rowing at the University of Worcester prior to sustaining her impairment. Her coach at Worcester Rowing Club later recommended her to British Rowing, and she joined the British Para rowing development programme following testing. "When I first got injured I wondered if my dream of being an international athlete had gone, but now I feel like the window has opened where the door had closed." (worcesternews.co.uk, 12 Sep 2017) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (worcesternews.co.uk, 02 May 2024) Awards: In 2022 she was named Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in recognition of the gold medal she won at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (henleystandard.co.uk, 01 Jan 2022) She and fellow British Para rowers Ellen Buttrick, James Fox, Oliver Stanhope and Erin Kennedy were named the 2019 Para Crew of the Year by World Rowing. (britishrowing.org, 22 Nov 2019) Additional Info: COACHING Between 2017 and 2019 she worked as a rowing coach at the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, England. She had previously been head of the rowing department at Hereford Cathedral School in England between 2014 and 2017. (LinkedIn profile, 03 Jun 2024) FURTHER EDUCATION She completed a bachelor's degree in sports coaching science at the University of Worcester in 2014. In 2022 she began studying for a master's degree in sports management at Birkbeck, University of London in England. (LinkedIn profile, 03 Jun 2024)