Chamberlain-Hyde’s journey to continue after GB selection for the Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprints Championships in Spain

INTERNATIONAL rower Sol Chamberlain-Hyde from Milford has been chosen by British Rowing as one of eight U19 rowers selected to represent Great Britain.

Chamberlain-Hyde and his rowing partner, Leah Saunders, will compete for GB in November at the Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprints Championships in Spain.

Fresh off the back of winning the World Championships in Italy in September in a nail-biting race against Australia in the final, Chamberlain-Hyde and Evesham Rowing Club’s Saunders have secured their place in the team heading out to compete on the international stage once again.

The Coupe de la Jeunesse is a team competition where all eight athletes will race in multiple events and boat classes.

The programme comprises junior men’s and women’s solos, double sculls and mixed double sculls.

This year, Chamberlain-Hyde has enjoyed tremendous success in mixed doubles with Saunders, but he will gain further beach sprints experience with British Rowing, who will trial Chamberlain-Hyde in both single scull and men’s double scull.

The 17-year-old, a Lymington Amateur Rowing Club member, who also came fourth with Saunders at the European Beach Sprints Championships in Poland earlier in the year, will be joined by fellow South Coast rowers Xavier Jebb and Tom Walker, both from Christchurch Rowing Club.

Chamberlain-Hyde will team up with Walker, who won bronze in the U19 Men’s solos at the European Rowing Beach Sprint Championships in June, competing for the first time in the men’s double sculls.

Beach Sprints is a recent addition to the domestic and international rowing calendars. With its inclusion in the LA 2028 Olympic Games schedule, the sport is set to continue its rapid rise.

It is a particularly spectator-friendly event as boats are never more than 250m from the beach. Speed and strength are paramount in the run-row-run format, alongside quick-thinking navigation.

A proud member of Lymington Amateur Rowing Club for many years under the excellent captaincy of Hugo Mills, Chamberlain-Hyde has been training hard throughout the summer with Saunders at the British Rowing Coastal Academy based in Studland, under the expert supervision of British Rowing coach Lucy Hart.

While British Rowing supports him with coaching, he supplies his own blades and has to pay fully for his international trips to race and represent Great Britain. He is looking for company or individual sponsorship to facilitate his GB journey.

To make a donation or to discuss sponsorship, visit shorturl.at/BYtKm