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Heather Stanning 2008.
The daughter of two Royal Navy officers, Heather Mary Stanning was born in Yeovil on 26th January 1985. Educated at Gordonstoun, where she was head girl, she was awarded an Army scholarship and studied sports technology at the University of Bath. Whilst at university, she started rowing under the Team GB Start programme, with her talent recognised early by the coach Paul Stannard. Her first success was part of the pair that won gold at the World Rowing U23 championships held in Glasgow.
Entering Sandhurst together with her brother, she won the Physical Training Prize and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 2008. After her Young Officers’ course, she was posted to 32 Regiment based on Salisbury Plain but, in 2010, was given a leave of absence to train for the Olympics. Partnering Helen Glover in the coxless pairs, they took time to establish themselves being initially ranked well outside the top ten. However, their rise was rapid, and they claimed silver in the World Rowing Championships in New Zealand later that year. This was followed by another second place the following year in Slovenia. Timing their peak to perfection, they took first place in three Rowing World Cup events in 2012 before competing in the Olympics later that year. The pair won Team GB’s first gold medal of the games, leading to an unprecedented ‘gold rush’ that brought the home team a record haul of 29 gold
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