Laurence Whiteley
Para Rowing
Bio
Bio
How I Started
It was mostly through word and mouth. I started out swimming after my diagnosis of bone cancer and that was my first introduction into the world of disability sport. After a while I became more disheartened with swimming, and was introduced to a woman called Rebecca who used to row for Durham University. It was simply a case of ‘why don’t you come down and try rowing?’. I popped across to my local rowing club (Tees RC) who were very accommodating, and they set a boat up for me and taught me all the basics of rowing. After being invited to various testing/trailing with British Rowing I was invited down to train with the national team in 2013.My Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement is without a doubt becoming a double Paralympic champion. I loved every moment of my first time becoming a Paralympic champion, but the second time it felt like I had climbed a mountain, as training was ground to a halt at the start of 2020 as a result of the global pandemic. This was difficult as training is a largely squad based activity, and not having the squad with me was a massive change, especially when training from home only being able to catch up when we had group calls.My Greatest Challenge
My greatest challenge was surviving Bone Cancer at the age of 13. This was a stressful time as I was in and out of school between doctor’s appointments and different hobbies such as swimming which I had started after my diagnosis. I got through this difficult time by spending my time surrounding myself with what I loved; family, friends and my hobbies. I kept swimming and one day someone asked if I had ever tried rowing, a new hobby that I could focus on through this difficult time.My Hobbies
In my spare time I enjoy gaming, fitness, cars and music! Even athletes like myself are allowed to play games, everything in moderation is what I say! I have loved cars since I was a child, and I also like to immerse myself in a great album from time to time!My greatest achievement is without a doubt becoming a double Paralympic champion. I loved every moment of my first time becoming a Paralympic champion, but the second time it felt like I had climbed a mountain, as training was ground to a halt at the start of 2020 as a result of the global pandemic. This was difficult as training is a largely squad based activity, and not having the squad with me was a massive change, especially when training from home only being able to catch up when we had group calls.