Rebecca Romero
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Jayne Romero MBE
(born 24 January 1980) is an English sportsperson, a former World Champion and Olympic Games medallist at rowing
, and a former World champion and reigning Olympic champion track cyclist.
, Surrey
, of an English
mother and Spanish
father, and brought up in Wallington
, Surrey
where she attended Wallington High School for Girls
. Her success in both sports has meant that she has been funded as a full-time athlete since graduating from university. She went to St Mary's College in Strawberry Hill
, where she studied Sports Science and English, gaining a 2.1 in 2002. She has a postgraduate diploma in Marketing Communications, which she gained in 2006. Rebecca is current studying for an MSc in Sports and Exercise Nutrition at the University of Chester
.
at the Athens 2004 Olympics
in the quadruple sculls
, and the following year was part of the British crew that won the 2005 World Championships
in the quad sculls.
Suffering from a persistent back injury, Romero retired from rowing in 2006.
In December 2006, Romero won a silver medal in the pursuit at the UCI Track World Cup event in Moscow – her international cycling debut – losing out to fellow Briton Wendy Houvenaghel
.
Romero won her first Cycling World Championships medal in March 2007 with silver in the 3 km pursuit. The following year, at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
, held in Manchester
, she won the individual and, (with Houvenaghel and Joanna Rowsell
), team pursuit events.
when she rode in the individual pursuit in Beijing. In winning the gold, she also became only the second woman of any country (after Roswitha Krause
of East Germany) to win a medal in two different sports at Summer Games.
Romero appeared nude on her bicycle in an advert for Powerade
sports drink in the run up to the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
Romero was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.
. She condemned the decision to drop the event as "ludicrous" but seems set to make a further change of events by switching to the road time trial.
In August 2009 she attempted the 874 mile non-stop mixed tandem bicycle record attempt from Land's End
to John O'Groats with James Cracknell
but had to give up at more than half way due to a knee injury.
She planned to race in a time trial
at Levens
, Cumbria
on 13 August 2011. She also raced in the British Time Trial Championships on 4 September 2011 finishing 4th overall.
World Championships
U23 World Championships
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 24 January 1980) is an English sportsperson, a former World Champion and Olympic Games medallist at rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, and a former World champion and reigning Olympic champion track cyclist.
Biography
Romero was born in CarshaltonCarshalton
Carshalton is a suburban area of the London Borough of Sutton, England. It is located 10 miles south-southwest of Charing Cross, situated in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton Ponds in the centre of the village. The combined population of the five wards...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, of an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mother and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
father, and brought up in Wallington
Wallington, London
Wallington is a town in the London Borough of Sutton situated south south-west of Charing Cross. Prior to the merger of the Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington into the London Borough of Sutton, it was part of the county of Surrey.- History :...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
where she attended Wallington High School for Girls
Wallington High School for Girls
Wallington High School for Girls is an all girls educational institution located just south of Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton, England.-Admissions:...
. Her success in both sports has meant that she has been funded as a full-time athlete since graduating from university. She went to St Mary's College in Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill, London
Strawberry Hill is an affluent area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Twickenham. It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It consists of a number of residential roads centered around a small development of shops and serviced by Strawberry...
, where she studied Sports Science and English, gaining a 2.1 in 2002. She has a postgraduate diploma in Marketing Communications, which she gained in 2006. Rebecca is current studying for an MSc in Sports and Exercise Nutrition at the University of Chester
University of Chester
The University of Chester is a public research university located in Chester, United Kingdom. The University, based on a main campus in Chester and a smaller campus in Warrington, offers a range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as undertaking academic research.Chester...
.
Rowing
Romero has won world championships in both cycling and rowing; as a rower, she won a silver medalSilver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the Athens 2004 Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in the quadruple sculls
Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's Quadruple Sculls
These are the results of the Women's quadruple sculls competition, one of six events for female competitors in Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Quadruple Sculls women:-Heat 1 - August 15, 09:40:...
, and the following year was part of the British crew that won the 2005 World Championships
World Rowing Championships 2005
The 28th World Rowing Championships were held at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course, Kaizu, Gifu, Japan, between August 28 and September 4, 2005. The international rowing season usually ends with the World Championship regatta. Apart from the Olympics this is the most prestigious...
in the quad sculls.
Suffering from a persistent back injury, Romero retired from rowing in 2006.
Cycling
Romero later took up track cycling, and made rapid progress in her new sport, specialising in track endurance events.In December 2006, Romero won a silver medal in the pursuit at the UCI Track World Cup event in Moscow – her international cycling debut – losing out to fellow Briton Wendy Houvenaghel
Wendy Houvenaghel
Wendy Louise Houvenaghel is a British racing cyclist from Upperlands, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, riding on both the road and track, but specialising in the latter...
.
Romero won her first Cycling World Championships medal in March 2007 with silver in the 3 km pursuit. The following year, at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Manchester Velodrome in Manchester, United Kingdom from 26 to 30 March 2008. Eighteen events were scheduled; the women's team pursuit being the only addition from the 2007...
, held in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, she won the individual and, (with Houvenaghel and Joanna Rowsell
Joanna Rowsell
Joanna Rowsell is a cyclist on the Great Britain Cycling Team who competes on track and road. She first came to national prominence as a winner of junior national competitions in 2005/2006, while her biggest successes to date are the gold medals won in the women's team pursuit at the 2008 and 2009...
), team pursuit events.
Beijing Olympics
She became the first British woman ever to compete in two different sports at the Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
when she rode in the individual pursuit in Beijing. In winning the gold, she also became only the second woman of any country (after Roswitha Krause
Roswitha Krause
Roswitha Krause is a German swimmer and team handball player. She competed for East Germany and achieved Olympic medals in both swimming and handball.-Swimming:...
of East Germany) to win a medal in two different sports at Summer Games.
Romero appeared nude on her bicycle in an advert for Powerade
Powerade
Powerade is a sports drink manufactured and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in 1988, its primary competitor is PepsiCo's Gatorade...
sports drink in the run up to the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Romero was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.
Post-Beijing
Romero was expected to return to track cycling in October 2009 but did not return amid speculation that the individual pursuit would be dropped from the Olympic programme. It was announced in December 2009 that the event is to be dropped, meaning Romero will be unable to defend her title at the 2012 Summer Olympics2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
. She condemned the decision to drop the event as "ludicrous" but seems set to make a further change of events by switching to the road time trial.
In August 2009 she attempted the 874 mile non-stop mixed tandem bicycle record attempt from Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
to John O'Groats with James Cracknell
James Cracknell
James Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have three children. In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to sport...
but had to give up at more than half way due to a knee injury.
She planned to race in a time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
at Levens
Levens
Levens is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Its inhabitants are called Levensans .-Origin and evolution of the name:...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
on 13 August 2011. She also raced in the British Time Trial Championships on 4 September 2011 finishing 4th overall.
Rowing
Olympic GamesRowing at the Summer Olympics
Rowing at the Summer Olympics has been part of the competition since the 1900 Summer Olympics. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the women's events were introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...
- 20042004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
–
Silver, Quadruple sculls (with Frances HoughtonFrances HoughtonFrances Julia P. Houghton is an English female rower, noteworthy for winning Silver Medals in the Quadruple Sculls at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games....
, Debbie FloodDebbie FloodDeborah Kirsty "Debbie" Flood is an English female rower, noteworthy for winning Silver Medals in the Quadruple Sculls at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games....
, Alison MowbrayAlison MowbrayAlison Mowbray was a British rower who won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics competing in the women's quadruple scull.- External links :...
)
World Championships
World Rowing Championships
The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
- 2001 – 5th, Quadruple sculls
- 2002 – 5th, Quadruple sculls
- 2003 – 4th, Double sculls
- 2005 – Gold, Quadruple sculls (with Katherine Grainger, Frances Houghton, Sarah Winkless)
U23 World Championships
- 1999 – 4th, Single sculls
- 2000 – Gold, Coxless pairs
Cycling
- Time Trial Champion (Cycling) 20062006 National Cycling ChampionshipsMost of the 2006 national road cycling championships took place in June, although there were a few exceptions such as the Australian and American championships which take place in January and September respectively.-Jerseys:...
- UCI Track World Cups: 2 Silver Medals (Moscow & Manchester)
- 2007 World Championships2007 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships is the World Championship for track cycling. It took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from March 29, 2007 to April 1, 2007...
– Silver, 3 km Pursuit - National 3km Pursuit Champion (Cycling) 2007
- 2008 World Championships2008 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Manchester Velodrome in Manchester, United Kingdom from 26 to 30 March 2008. Eighteen events were scheduled; the women's team pursuit being the only addition from the 2007...
– Gold, 3 km Pursuit - 2008 World Championships2008 UCI Track Cycling World ChampionshipsThe 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Manchester Velodrome in Manchester, United Kingdom from 26 to 30 March 2008. Eighteen events were scheduled; the women's team pursuit being the only addition from the 2007...
– Gold, Team Pursuit - 2008 Summer OlympicsCycling at the 2008 Summer OlympicsCycling competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics were held from August 9 to August 23 at the Laoshan Velodrome , Laoshan Mountain Bike Course, Laoshan BMX Field and the Beijing Cycling Road Course...
Gold, Individual Pursuit
- 4th British National Time Trial Championships (Cycling) 2011British National Time Trial ChampionshipsThe British National Time Trial Championships are held annually. The winners of each event are awarded with a symbolic white cycling jersey featuring blue and red stripes, which can be worn by the rider at other time trial events in the country to show their status as national champion...
External links
- Profile on British CyclingBritish CyclingBritish Cycling is the national governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man...
- Olympians strip down as they prepare to make history in Beijing Photos by award-winning photographer Nadav KanderNadav KanderNadav Kander is a London based photographer, artist and director, internationally renowned for his portraiture and landscapes. His work forms part of the public collection at the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Kander's work is also exhibited in numerous...
for PoweradePoweradePowerade is a sports drink manufactured and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in 1988, its primary competitor is PepsiCo's Gatorade...
advertising campaign, The Daily Mail