Ross Rowing Club star Yasmin Howe stormed to silver and bronze at the European junior team regatta in Amsterdam, as the GB team retained the Coupe de la Jeunesse for best overall nation.
And fellow Ross RC junior graduate Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank will also be looking to make the podium on the Paris Olympic course this week, when she launches out with the national team at the World Rowing U19 Championships.
Yasmin, who has raced to several national titles with her Wycliffe squad this season, was on board the GB junior girls’ quadruple scull in the Netherlands, where they raced in two separate regattas on Saturday and Sunday.
Teamed with Marlow RC duo Annabel Rayner and Katie Breeze, and Hereford Cathedral School’s Natasha Phillips, on day one, she chased home Italy in the five-boat heat to make the six-boat final.
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GB then led the medal race through every marker, with a canvas advantage over Switzerland at half-way and a 1/4L with 500m to race.
But it was the fast-finishing Czech boat who got up on the line to claim gold by just four feet, with GB finishing 1/2L up on the Swiss in silver, followed by heat winners Italy, Poland and France.
Day 2 saw GB start with victory in their five-boat heat by 1 1/2L from France in second.
And in the final, GB were second at 500m, four feet behind the French, before the Poles and Czechs made a charge for the front, with the Brits passing the early pacesetters to go through half-way in third, 3/4L back from the two eastern European boats.
The Poles led by six feet with 500m to go with the Brits just over a length back but a good length up on the fourth-placed Italians.
But it was the Czechs again who stormed through to take victory on the line by a matter of inches, with GB this time settling for bronze some 2L back, followed by Italy, Denmark and France.
Hartpury’s Elliott Donovan-Davies and his GB boys’ quad scull were also pipped to gold by the Czechs on both days as they secured two silvers.
All of the races can be watched on the Coupe de la Jeunesse’s dedicated YouTube page.
Meanwhile, Yasmin’s clubmate Violet will be going for gold in the GB U19 world championship women’s coxless four in France this week.
The 17-year-old former Monmouth Comprehensive School pupil, who made her international bow racing for Wales last year in the Home Countries Regatta at London’s Docklands, races with Martha Shepherd from Hinksey Sculling School, Henley RC’s Rhiannon Luke – daughter of Olympic medallist Miriam Luke and Welsh GB cap Dave Luke – and Madeleine Greenstock of Surbiton High School.