Anna Watkins facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Anna Rose Bebington | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United Kingdom |
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| Born | 13 February 1983 Leek, Staffordshire, England |
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| Education | Natural Sciences | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2001– | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Great Britain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rowing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Double sculls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Newnham College Boat Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Rob Roy Boat Club Leander Club |
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| Turned pro | 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Anna Rose Watkins (born 13 February 1983) is a famous British rower. She is known for winning medals at the Olympic Games and World Rowing Championships.
Anna competed in two Olympic Games. She won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Four years later, she achieved a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Both of these medals were in the double sculls event, where two rowers use two oars each. She also won four medals at the World Championships, including two gold medals in 2010 and 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Starting Rowing
Anna Watkins was born and grew up in Leek, Staffordshire, England. She went to Westwood College there. Later, she studied Natural Sciences at Newnham College, Cambridge. This is where she first started rowing in 2001.
She began her rowing journey with the Newnham College Boat Club. She later joined the World Class Start program by UK Sport. This program helps find talented athletes.
Anna's Rowing Career
Early International Races
In 2004, Anna made her first international appearance. She won a gold medal in the Coxless IVs event at the World Under 23 Regatta in Poznań, Poland. A Coxless IVs boat has four rowers but no coxswain (the person who steers).
In 2005, Anna started competing at the senior international level. She was part of the Women's Eight team. They finished fifth at the World Championships in Gifu, Japan. She also earned an Under 23 bronze medal in Amsterdam that year.
Switching to Double Sculls
In 2006, Anna changed her focus to sculling. This is a type of rowing where each person uses two oars. She started competing in the double scull boat. She has stayed with this boat class ever since.
At the 2006 World Championships, Anna partnered with Annabel Vernon. They finished fourth. They had won the World Cup series earlier that season.
Olympic Medals and Partnerships
For the next two years, Anna's rowing partner was Elise Laverick. Together, they won bronze medals at both the World Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Their Olympic medal was very close, with only 0.23 seconds separating the top three teams.
In 2009, Anna teamed up with Annabel Vernon again. They won a silver medal at the World Championships in Poznań, Poland.
Unbeaten Seasons and Gold Medals
In 2010, Anna started rowing with Katherine Grainger. This partnership was incredibly successful. They had an unbeaten season in their double scull. They won the World Championships in New Zealand. Because of their success, they were named "World Rowing Female Crew of the Year."
In 2011, Anna and Katherine continued their winning streak. They won another World Championships gold medal. Anna also won the Wingfield Sculls, setting a new record time.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Anna and Katherine were in top form. They broke the Olympic record in the semi-final of the double sculls. Then, they won the final race, earning the gold medal for Great Britain!
After her Olympic success, Anna was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2013. This was for her great contributions to rowing.
Attempted Comeback
In 2015, after having her second child, Anna wanted to return to rowing. She aimed to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics. If she had succeeded, she would have been the first mother to represent Great Britain in rowing with two children born between Olympics.
However, in February 2016, she decided not to continue with the Olympic program for Rio. She felt her performance wasn't quite where it needed to be.
Anna's Life Outside Rowing
In September 2009, Anna married Oliver Watkins. He was a rowing coach and was studying engineering at Cambridge. The couple lives in Wokingham. Oliver works for the McLaren Formula One team.
Anna and Oliver have two sons. Their first son, William James, was born in September 2013. Their second son was born in February 2015.
Anna also has a PhD in mathematics from the University of Reading.
Achievements
Olympic Games
World Rowing Championships
- 2011 Bled – Gold, Double Scull
- 2010 Lake Karapiro – Gold, Double Scull
- 2009 Poznań – Silver, Double Scull
- 2007 Munich – Bronze, Double Scull
World Rowing Under 23 Championships
- 2005 – Bronze, Coxless Pair
- 2004 – Gold, Coxless Four
GB Rowing Team Senior Trials
- 2012 – 2nd, Single Scull
- 2011 – 1st, Single Scull
See Also
In Spanish: Anna Watkins para niños
- 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics gold post boxes
