Erin is a two time Paralympic Champion, three time World Champion, four time European Champion and Guinness World Record Holder.
She is the first Coxswain to ever hold these four titles at any one time.
Erin trains full time as Coxswain with the GB Rowing Team and currently steers the Mix4+ in the Paralympic Squad.
She married her husband, Major Sam Kennedy in December 2019 and lives by the river in Henley-on-Thames. She was awarded an MBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honour’s List.
In May 2022, Erin was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer. She continued to train and compete for GB during and beyond treatment and is documenting her journey.
Erin is one of Great Britain’s most decorated coxswains.
HOW IT BEGAN
Erin’s coxing career began whilst studying at Oxford University, when she was introduced to rowing during fresher’s week and immediately stepped into the coxing seat. After two successful years coxing Pembroke College’s men and women, she began training with OUWBC and was selected to cox the winning Oxford Blue Boat in 2014.
After graduating, Erin moved to train at Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames, the world’s most successful rowing club. There, she coxed on both the men and women’s programmes, competing at Henley Royal Regatta and winning the British National Championships and the Women’s Head of the River.
GB ROWING TEAM
In 2016, Erin was invited to train full time at the National Training Centre after being nominated as the Mix 4+ Spare at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Erin coxed internationally on both the Olympic and Paralympic Pathways before being selected to cox the Mix4+ at the 2018 World Rowing Championships.
Erin and her crew went on to win both 2018 and 2019 World Championships and set a new World Best Time whilst qualifying the boat for Tokyo 2020 in the Mix4+.
In 2021, Erin won the European Championships and was selected for the postponed Paralympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan later that year.
TOKYO 2020
Erin made her Paralympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games. The crew remained the same since the 2019 World Championships and the boat has not been beaten since 2010.
Erin became Paralympic Champion on 29th August 2019 and the crew maintained its unbeaten streak - extending the legacy to 11 years of winning.
The crew dominated the event, with a winning margin of over 10 seconds to the USA who took the silver medal. Bronze was taken by France, followed by Australia, Italy and Israel.
Erin is the first and only coxswain to hold all three Championship titles at once - Paralympic Champion, World Champion and European Champion.
BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Erin returned to training following a short break after Tokyo and is now working towards competing at the Paris 2024 Games.
In 2022, Erin won a Gold at Gavirate International regatta in Italy and whilst on that training camp, discovered a lump on her breast. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and four dates later, won a Gold medal at World Cup I in Belgrade, Serbia. By winning the World Cup, Erin has now won a Gold medal at every single international para-rowing event.
“When I was diagnosed, I didn’t think “am I going to die?”, I thought, “what am I going to do about rowing?”
Erin quoted in an interview with The Telegraph
COMPETING WITH CANCER
She began treatment in July 2022 and after two rounds of EC Chemotherapy, she led her team victory at the Munich European Championships in August.
Erin then made the difficult decision to step back from her team and focus on treatment and target returning to international competition in 2023.
Erin had a double mastectomy in January 2023 and following intensive rehab, rejoined the team. Erin returned to international competition in May 2023, winning the European Championships in Slovenia exactly a year after her diagnosis and finished the season by qualifying for the 2024 Games.
RETURNING TO COMPETITION
Erin returned full time training with her team and preparing for Selection ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.
In the first competition of the year, Erin steered a new line up at the European Championships, with Josh O’Brien making his international debut in the two seat. The crew won Gold in style, making it Erin’s fourth European title in a row.
Despite the need to substitute an athlete in the 2024 World Cup in Poland, Great Britain continued to dominate the event and went into the Paralympics Games as favourites.
PARIS 2024
Erin was selected for the Paris Paralympic Games in July 2024 alongside Ed Fuller, Giedre Rakauskaite, Frankie Allen and Josh O’Brien.
On the 30th August, the crew won their heat, setting a new Paralympic Record and breaking their own World Record by 3 seconds. With fierce competition from America, France, Germany, Italy and Australia, the final looked set to be tight.
On the 1st September, the crew led out the rest of the world to win Gold and maintain Great Britain’s impressive 14 year winning streak in the event. Erin is now the only coxswain to ever retain a Paralympic title.
Competitive Record
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Gold, Mix 4+, Paris 2021 Paralympic Games, France
Gold, Mix 4+, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Japan
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Gold, Mix 4+, 2022 World Rowing Championships, Serbia
Gold, Mix 4+, 2019 World Rowing Championships, Austria
Gold, Mix 4+, 2018 World Rowing Championships, Bulgaria
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Gold, Mix 4+, 2024 European Rowing Championships, Hungary
Gold, Mix 4+, 2023 European Rowing Championships, Slovenia
Gold, Mix 4+, 2022 European Rowing Championships, Germany
Gold, Mix 4+, 2021 European Rowing Championships, Italy
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Gold, Mix 4+, 2024 Rowing World Cup III, Poland
Gold, Mix 4+, 2023 Rowing World Cup II, Italy
Gold, Mix 4+, 2022 Rowing World Cup I, Serbia
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2014 Boat Race Winner, Oxford
Gold, Women’s Head of the River 2016 & 2017
Gold, British Offshore Championships 2017