London 2012 inspring Scott in pursuit of Olympic medal

Hannah Scott stood connected nan pavilion of nan Bann Rowing Club and looked down connected nan 3 Olympic medalists from Coleraine.

The 12 year-old had precocious taken up nan athletics and for nan erstwhile 3 weeks had sat successful beforehand of nan television, soaking up nan sum of nan London 2012 Games.

She had shouted connected brothers Richard and Peter Chambers to a metallic badge successful nan men’s lightweight 4 and past had cried pinch Alan Campbell erstwhile he stood connected nan podium to person his bronze badge successful nan azygous sculls.

Now, present were nan victorious trio, backmost location and being welcomed arsenic heroes.

“When I watched Richard, Peter and Alan successful 2012, from that constituent forward, I conscionable had this idea. I was like, I really want to do that.

“I really would emotion to spell to nan Olympics and I don't deliberation I ever thought I americium going, I conscionable thought, let's spot really acold I tin get.

“That was nan dream. And my dream was ignited that time and I've been chasing it ever since," explained Scott.

There were already connections pinch nan Olympic medallists.

Scott’s begetter worked pinch nan Chambers brothers' dada and she attended DH Christie Memorial Primary School successful nan municipality wherever Campbell’s mum, Jenny, was nan principal.

“I don't deliberation nan boys rather realised, that for me, from Coleraine, it almost group maine up for what was to beryllium my teenage years successful position of what I could do.

“It gave maine a consciousness of dream that there's thing I tin do present that could return maine really acold successful position of wherever I want to go.

“Had they not achieved what they did, I would astir apt ne'er person known.

“I wouldn't person watched it connected TV, but it's nan truth that they came from present and I watched them pinch my ain eyes and they were successful this club.”

While not peculiarly into sports astatine school, from nan infinitesimal she entered nan Bann Rowing Club, unsocial because it sits beneath a Chinese restaurant, Scott recovered thing she enjoyed.

As a teen she soon began to excel astatine inferior level.

It was aft his last quality astatine nan Olympics successful 2016 that Richard Chambers mentioned to maine that I should watch retired for this young woman from his club, and that she was nan existent deal.

So overmuch truthful that Scott received a rowing danasiwa to Princeton University successful nan USA.

“I'd ne'er been to America earlier and that's thing that rowing provided me... Had I not done this sport, I would person ne'er had nan opportunity.

“I look backmost connected my clip astatine Princeton and it was incredible. The group I sewage to meet, nan experiences each done rowing."

COVID and nan world pandemic trim short Scott's American escapade by a twelvemonth but she returned location affirmative and backmost into training connected nan River Bann, opting for a azygous scull which yet led to her action for Team GB.

The 12-month hold to nan Tokyo Games really allowed Scott to suffice for Team GB - an Olympics she mightiness not person different gone to.

The excitement of making nan quad sculls for an Olympic debut was tempered by not making nan Olympic final, and erstwhile she returned to training successful 2022 it was successful nan azygous sculls, wherever she would decorativeness 5th successful a world final.

Last year, pinch Olympic qualification connected nan statement astatine nan world championships successful Belgrade, Scott and her squad mates, Georgie Brayshaw, Lola Anderson and Lauren Henry took attraction of business by becoming world champions successful a thrilling final.

“We were going successful for a golden successful that vessel and past twelvemonth we built done a play and we sewage a golden successful nan world championships astatine nan end.

“At nan clip it was affectional and I felt really satisfied pinch it.

“But I still knew past twelvemonth that Paris was this twelvemonth and I'm still benignant of holding my activity a spot because I cognize nan large one's still to travel and you've sewage to support your eyes connected nan prize and that's what I've learned again from Tokyo.”

The quartet spell into nan Paris Olympic regatta arsenic favourites aft adding nan European title and Lucerne World Cup to their burgeoning badge collection.

Great Britain has ne'er won nan Olympic golden successful nan women’s quad.

Twelve years connected from being inspired to go an Olympian, now Scott has nan opportunity to make history.

“It's a time that we've each committed to for nan past 3 years. I deliberation that's nan really typical spot astir it but I'm conscionable going to enactment razor crisp and enactment successful my lane because that's what I'm bully at.

“I cognize erstwhile I get things from A to B accelerated arsenic I can, simple, that's wherever my mindset is.

“But you can't get excessively carried away. Otherwise you suffer show of it, and I'm not I'm not readying to get distracted.

"I'm connected a ngo correct now.”