FIVE thousand miles from Beijing, Olympic hero Tom James’s old school in Chester have celebrated their former pupil’s achievement.
James, 24, secured gold in the men’s coxless fours on Saturday in dramatic fashion.
The Great Britain team were trailing Australia for much of the race but, upping their stroke rate and giving the performance of their lives, they overturned the Aussies’ three-quarter length lead with 400 metres to go to claim the top spot.
Yet it was in very different circumstances that James got his first taste of rowing.
Aged just 13, he took to the waters of the River Dee with The King’s School in Chester.
It was here he spent his early years in the sport and the school are understandably pleased with his achievements.
Master in charge of rowing Robert Parry said: “It’s fantastic for the club – we’re enormously proud of what Tom has achieved.
“I was watching it at home but I just wish we could all have been in the boat house. We have 130 boys and girls rowing and I’m sure every one of them was glued to their TV.
“To row through was amazing. I thought I was a fairly calm person but I found I was kneeling on the floor shouting at the TV. Afterwards I wondered how I got into this position! As someone who coaches rowing you’re urging them on.
“I hope we’ve got someone there in 2012. Tom will be there again and we have another rower (Nick Fearnhead) in the development squad.”
James, of Coedpoeth, near Wrexham, came back to Chester to practise as part of the Cambridge crew in the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race last year. Mr Parry said he had spoken to James four or five months ago, when he was injured, when he told Mr Parry how hard they trained.
Mr Parry said: “When you see that it’s all worthwhile. Tom is a product of years of investment in rowing at King’s. We owe a lot to the governors and previous headmasters.”
Meanwhile, Chester gymnast Beth Tweddle, 23, failed to come good on her great promise by coming fourth in the women’s bars final yesterday (Monday). Taking the last spot in the final, she tried a difficult routine on her favourite discipline. But the top spot went to China’s He Kexin.
