Golden debut: Healey Stevens, 13, smashes British Rowing indoor record

Healey Stevens performance at the recent British Rowing Indoor Championships will have raised a few eyebrows among those in rowing circles.

In his first indoor event, the 13-year-old from Maidenhead won two gold medals and smashed a nine-year record in the 500m by nearly four seconds at Birmingham’s NEC centre.

Healey only started rowing on the water in July this year, when he completed a learn to row course at Maidenhead Rowing Club.

He’s since shown he has the raw ingredients to really thrive in the sport, and he pulled away from more experienced competitors from schools and clubs at the championships on December 6.

Lining up on Ergo machines on stage, with a giant screen showing spectators their progress behind them, Healey finished top of the podium in two events.

He claimed gold in the ‘three-minute race’ covering an impressive 888m before being timed out, and then pulled away from rivals in the 500m event, shaving almost four seconds off the old record of 1min37secs – set in 2016 – as he finished in 1min34.2secs.

It was a considerable achievement considering this was Healey’s first indoor rowing event.

His proud mum Sian – who also used to row competitively - said: “He only started rowing at Maidenhead Rowing Club in July.

“In the 500m, he smashed the record by four seconds. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but four seconds over 500 metre is quite significant.

“We were able to watch the races on a screen. It’s a bit like one of those indoor horse races where you can see the horses galloping along. You see all the boats switching places.

“He did the three-minute race and covered 888m. And the 500m was a timed result. His time was 1.34.2 and the record was 1.37, set in 2016. When you watch the video, you can see how exhilarating the race was. He was rowing for Maidenhead Rowing Club, and it was against all different schools and clubs.

“He started learning how to row on the water from July and is now Erg (indoor rowing machine) training three times a week now. I just want him to carry on because it’s such an awesome sport.”