Brother and sister rowers aim for Olympics

A pair of rowing siblings who are hoping to represent Great Britain at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris have said they are "super proud" of each other.

Tom and Emily Ford, from Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, will be part of the men's and women's eight crews at World Rowing Cup II, which take place in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Friday.

It will be the last chance for them to shine before British Rowing makes the final team selection for the Games in July.

The brother and sister, who were part of the British team at the Covid-hit 2020 Games in Tokyo, said being in with a chance of going to their second Olympics and competing in front of crowds was "very exciting".

Tom, 31, and Emily, 29, said rowing had been a huge part of their childhood as they watched their older twin brothers win the National Championships and National School Regattas together.

They said the twins no longer rowed, but were supportive of their own Olympic efforts, which previously culminated in a bronze medal for Tom and a seventh place finish for Emily in Tokyo.

Since the 2020 Games, Tom has won back to back World Championship titles with the men's eight, while Emily and the women's eight took silver at both the 2023 and 2024 European Championships.

Emily said sibling rivalry had spurred them both on in their careers, especially when they were growing up, but now it was "easier having one another to support one another".

The pair said if they are selected for Paris, they aim to better their Tokyo performances and go for gold.

Tom told BBC North West Tonight getting a bronze in Tokyo was "amazing, but I want to improve on that".

"Everything is bigger when it's the Olympics," he said.

"There's more buzz and crowds, which makes it special, but now having experience of competing in a Games, you know what to expect."

Emily said "missing out" on racing in front of a crowd in Tokyo due to Covid restrictions had been disappointing, so being in with a shout of competing in Paris was special.

"Paris is as close to a home Games as we're going to get without it being in the UK, so it is exciting," she said.

Tom said the proximity of Paris would also allow their family to share in any success.

"Not only is it going to be great having people there spectating, but also people at home who are supporting... don't have to get up in the middle of the night," he said.

Emily added that their cousins, who have never been on a plane before, were all set to fly out to cheer them on if they are selected.

"It's very exciting to have them out supporting our journey," she said.

The final selection for Team GB Rowing at the Paris Olympics is due to be announced on 5 June.

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