Team GB star who ‘wanted to be a chicken farmer’ discusses bronze medal win

The Independent

British rowers Becky Wilde and Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne shared a remarkable comeback story to win Olympic bronze in the women’s doubles sculls.The pair made it on to the podium at Paris 2024 after Hodgkins Byrne had taken time away from rowing after the Tokyo Olympics three years ago to have her son Freddie, now two.Wilde’s own break from the sport was enforced as she underwent surgery on both her forearms 10 months ago.Speaking after their success, Hodgkins Byrne admitted that she got into sports "accidentally" and that she wanted to be a chicken farmer when she was younger.

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00:00I used to swim so Becky Adlington was a huge hero of mine and then in rowing

00:13Katherine Granger in 2012 was inspirational and she's someone I've

00:17looked up to in the double sculls since I started rowing. I actually wanted to be

00:23a lady sheep farmer or a chicken farmer when I was little so the Sophie books

00:27were like a massive part of my life and sport was kind of more accidental that I

00:32got into but yeah I think now we're in the double definitely looking back at

00:36the results Katherine had gave us a lot of confidence going into this regatta.

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