European, World and Olympic gold medals must have felt a world away from the place Lauren Henry found herself at the end of rowing’s 2022 season.
It was, in her own words, her most difficult season to date after a series of injuries forced her to miss the majority of the campaign.
“I had seven rib stress fractures that year,” she tells the BEAA after winning June’s Athletes’ Athlete of the Month.
“Recurring injuries are very tough because you feel like you've got through, you've rehabbed, you've worked really hard, and then it just happens again and it's very demoralising.”
The comeback, as they say, is always stronger than the setback, and that’s certainly been the case for Lauren.
In the three years since, she’s won Olympic, World and European Championship gold in the women’s quadruple sculls, before switching to the single sculls for the 2025 season and claiming the European title in June.
The 23-year-old now looks back on that injury-hit period as the turning point in her young career.
“I think that was the catalyst to getting fast,” she explains.
“The following season was my least year of under-23s, and I wanted to go and win a gold medal in the single. I was so set on that, and I had such a good season that I won the GB senior trials, which meant I ended up in the senior quadruple sculls.
“So, for me it [injury] was definitely a catalyst to bigger things, but at the time it was really tough and there were points where it felt very hopeless.
“I don’t think I was ever actually going to give up, there were just points where I was at the end of my tether with rowing.”
Injuries, unfortunately, are part and parcel of being an elite athlete. Whether minor or major, they are something every sportsperson must deal with, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
Lauren has had injuries since, but none that have disrupted her to the extent they did back in 2022 and, having come through that challenging period, she has learnt how to manage the situation.
And her advice for her fellow athletes experiencing similar? Remember tough times don’t last.
“I think it’s knowing that injuries happen to everyone” Lauren adds.
“I wouldn't say they're inevitable, but they're part of being an elite athlete and pushing your body to the limit.
“You don't want to be injured, but sometimes it's going to happen and for me, the big thing is trying to feel like I make improvements while I'm injured.
“It’s been about setting goals while injured and thinking about the bigger picture. I might be injured in December, but my big aim for the season might not be until August or September, so I've got to keep working hard to make sure I stay on track for that goal.
“Recognising that tough times don't always last and that there is pretty much always light at the end of the tunnel will get you there.”
