Nunn's hunger reignited as Windsor rower targets LA 2028 after World silver success

Windsor’s Sam Nunn is back winning medals with Great Britain as part of a hugely promising and already very successful men’s eights crew.

However, just over a year ago, Nunn was ready to turn his back on his sport after having been left out of the Great Britain rowing squad for the Olympic Games in Paris.

Nunn, who works for British Gas in Windsor, admitted he felt sorry for himself for a period, and left rowing with ‘his tail between his legs’. However, with the support of his employers and the coaching set up at Great Britain, he’s been able to rediscover his hunger for the sport in a boat he hopes will be all-conquering over the next few years.

 He’s recently returned from the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, where in difficult, humid conditions, the British men’s eight crew finished in silver medal position behind a strong Dutch crew and just 0.17 seconds ahead of the Americans.

Reflecting on the experience Nunn said: “Shanghai was one of the most unique and challenging places that I have ever had to race at, we were dealing with extreme heat, humidity, major time zone shifts as well as a totally new cultural environment.

“We knew going in that the Dutch were a world-class crew and featured several returning Olympians from Paris. But the Americans were a relatively new crew who we didn’t know much about. We knew it was always going to come down to very small margins. And in the Final, it was exactly that.

“We were holding some overlap with the Dutch right to the end, and at the same time defending off a huge push from the US. We managed to get our boat over the line just 0.17s ahead of them!!! To come away with silver is something I’m proud of, but as a crew we also know gold is in reach and that makes us hungry for more.

“We’ve got a great mix of experienced guys and younger guys coming through, I think that makes for a strong dynamic among the team. This silver shows that we’re already competitive with the best in the world, but we also know there’s still more to come, I am confident that as a group we will use this result to push us on over the next few seasons. I’m confident that if we keep developing and improving the way we are, we can be right in the mix for medals in LA, 2028.”

Having forced his way back into the GB selectors thoughts and earned his place in a successful boat, the mission for Nunn is now to stay there and get the chance to represent his country at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.  He says he’s rowing with more hunger and perspective after last summer’s disappointing omission.

He said: “Of course, missing out on Paris was tough, for a moment I guess I was feeling sorry for myself and had my tail between my legs. I thought stepping away was the right move for me at the time. I needed to reset, to focus on work, and to get some perspective outside of rowing. British Gas were brilliant in supporting me through that period, and I’m hugely grateful. But I realised there was still a spark there, and I missed being part of a crew and testing myself against the best in the world. Coming back hasn’t been easy – world class sport never is – but the break gave me a fresh appreciation for what a privilege it is to represent GB. Now I feel like I’m rowing with both hunger and perspective.”

He feels the men’s eight crew - which featured several athletes making their World Championships debut - have bonded well over the season having also had success at the European Championships and World Rowing Cup event in Varese.

“Yes, Will and I both have Windsor connections, he grew up here, went to The Windsor Boys School, which is a nice link. But really the whole eight have formed a close bond this year. When you’re working so closely together and all pushing yourselves day in and day out, you build a tight group.

“We trust each other, and we push and challenge each other too. We know we need this if we’re going to succeed on the biggest stage in LA. For now, we just need to keep building and to arrive at whatever race comes next as the best version of ourselves. If we do that, I am sure we can be competitive for medals.”