Louis Attrill

Louis Attrill is a British rower and Olympics gold medallist.

Attrill took up rowing at Shanklin Rowing Club on the Isle of Wight and won novice at Milford regatta. The following year he furthered his interest in the sport at Imperial College Boat Club in 1993. Previously he had played rugby and cricket for Hampshire Colts and was British junior kick-boxing champion in 1991. In his first year of rowing, he won at Henley Royal Regatta in the Imperial College London Temple Challenge Cup eight. The following year he won his second Henley medal and made his international debut at under-23 level, he was also asked to travel to the 1995 senior World Championships in the reserve pair. In 1996, Attrill rowed for Imperial and won the premier event for eights at Henley Royal Regatta — the Grand Challenge Cup. He then went on to be selected for the British under-23 coxless four which won a gold medal at the Nations Cup.

Louis Attrill was selected for the 1997 senior eight. This was a young crew, largely composed of ex-junior and under-23 internationals. They raced with freshness and flair throughout the World Cup series and finished in fourth place at the World Championships. He was in the eight again for the 1998 World Championships and they were unlucky to miss out on a place in the final. Hugely disappointed with their seventh place the eight left no stone unturned in their quest for a medal in 1999 and were justly rewarded.

Attrill won a silver medal in the eight at the 1999 World Championships in Canada. In a close race the British and Americans battled it out, pulling away from the rest of the field. The Brits took the lead in the third 500metres only for the USA crew to snatch it back before the finish. It was Attril's third year in the eight and the result was a reflection of the meticulous attention to detail that the crew had put into their preparations. In 2000 they had a very successful season on the international circuit and took the World Cup title at Lucerne, Switzerland. He then went on to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the 2000 Sydney Games.