FORMER Hereford rower Fern Cotterill has raced to bronze in the World Junior Championships in Brandenburg, Germ-any.
The Tenbury Wells 18-year-old, whose grandparents live in Hereford, was part of the quad sculls team which came in behind Germany and Belarus to pick up Britain's first ever junior girls' quad medal.
But Cotterill, who learned to row at Hereford Rowing Club after being inspired by Sir Steve Redgrave's fifth Olympic success at Sydney, is not content to bask in the success of a first international medal.
"Winning the quad sculls medal for GB was fantastic, but I'm already looking ahead to next year when I want the British under-23 lightweight singles slot," she said.
"GB hadn't won a world under-18 women's sculling medal since Athens medallists Debbie Flood and Frances Houghton seven years ago and it was great to put Britain back on the podium again.
"But now I want to emulate those girls and go on to the Olympics in Beijing and then London."
After collecting her A-level results today (Thursday), Cotterill is hoping to study sport and exercise science at Loughborough University, with the National Water Sports Centre at Nottingham just down the road.
That should assist in her next goal, to pick up another medal at the World Under-23 Cham-pionships in Belgium next year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article