British Rower becomes first athlete to win medals in men's and women's events at Paris Olympics

Fieldman led Great Britain's Women's Eight team to a bronze medal, adding to his previous success of coxing the men's team to a bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics.

Henry Fieldman, a British rower, made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics by becoming the first athlete to win Olympic medals in both men's and women's events. Fieldman achieved this feat by coxing Great Britain's Women's Eight team to a bronze medal, following his earlier success at the Tokyo Olympics, where he coxed the men's team to a bronze medal in the same event.

eam Great Britain pose with their bronze medals during the medal ceremony for the Men's Eight Final. (Getty)

Fieldman's success as a coxswain, regardless of the team's gender, shows his skill, dedication, and versatility. This achievement was made possible by a rule change introduced by World Rowing after the 2016 Rio Olympics, allowing coxes of either gender to steer the eights, the only boats that require coxes at Olympic regattas.

Fieldman began his rowing journey inspired by a fellow rower, eventually earning his first Great Britain vest at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in 2006 in the coxed four. He steadily progressed through the ranks, moving from the under-23 team to the senior team and eventually to the Olympics.

At the European Championships in Bled in 2023, Fieldman showcased his adaptability by stepping in to cox the men's and women's eights. Despite limited training with the men's team, he led them to a narrow victory over Romania. Then he returned to cox the women's team to a silver medal behind the Romanian crew.

Fieldman's achievements include his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020, where he coxed Great Britain's men's eight to a bronze medal. He is a two-time world champion in the men's coxed pair and has won multiple European championship medals. In 2023, he successfully led the British men's eight to a gold medal while coaxing the women's crew to silver.

"I hope that now that we've had two Olympic medals in the women's eight that this could be the start of more women's eights medals to come - stepping on to greater things," he said.