Polly Swann
Polly Swann (born 5 June 1988) is a British rower and a member of the Great Britain Rowing Team. She is a former World and European champion in the women's coxless pairs, having won the 2013 World Rowing Championships at Chungju in Korea, and the 2014 European Rowing Championships at Belgrade, Serbia with her partner Helen Glover. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won a silver medal in the women's eight. In the 2020 coronavirus pandemic she took a break from rowing to work as a doctor at St John's Hospital, Livingston. In 2021 she regained the European Coxless Pair title in Varese, Italy, with Helen Glover. She and Glover finished fourth in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Early life Polly Swann is the elder of two children born to Sally and David Swann, a doctor. She was born in Lancaster, England, but when she was three weeks old the family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where she was raised and educated. She attended George Heriot's School where, at the age of 14, she started rowing on the Union Canal. She went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh until taking a sabbatical in 2010 to concentrate on rowing. In 2013 she studied for a degree in global health policy at the University of London. Career 2009 At the European University Sports Association (EUSA) Championships Swann won a gold medal in the women's pair and a silver medal in the women's eight. She represented Scotland at the Home International Regatta held at Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre, England, winning gold medals in both the women's pair and the women's eight. 2010 In 2010, she rowed in the quadruple sculls at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Brest, Belarus and finished fourth. This success gave her the impetus to take a sabbatical from her University Medical Degree course, to move to Henley and concentrate full-time on rowing. She won gold in the 'Under 23 quadruple sculls' at Amsterdam International Regatta in June. At the Henley Women's Regatta in June she won the Avril Vellacott Cup for Elite Coxless Fours. She was a member of the Scotland Team for the Commonwealth Rowing Championships in Welland, Canada. 2011 Swann was a member of the women's eight at the 2011 European Rowing Championships at Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where they finished fourth. At the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials at Eton/Dorney, Swann was teamed with Monica Relph in the women's coxless pair and finished fifth. At the Henley Royal Regatta she reached the final of the Remenham Challenge Cup, where the GB Senior Women's eight were defeated by Princeton Training Center, U.S.A. 2012 Swann and Jo Cook finished fourth in the women's pairs at the GB Rowing Team Senior Trials at Eton Dorney in March. Back injury contributed to her missing selection for the Olympics rowing team. 2013 Teamed with Helen Glover in the women's coxless pair under the tutelage of Robin Williams, Swann completed a clean sweep of three victories at the World Rowing