By Gareth James
Ben Pritchard believes he can build on his first international gold medal to become a Paralympic champion this summer.
The Welsh star won the PR1 Men’s Single Sculls at the Rowing World Cup in Poznan, Poland, just two months before the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Pritchard, from Swansea, finished five seconds clear of Italy’s Giacomo Perini and 12 seconds ahead of Australia’s Erik Horrie in bronze.
He got out to a flying start and held the lead throughout to take the win and said: “I’m elated!
“It hasn’t sunk in yet but it feels very special… and on Father’s Day, too!
“There’s a bit of extra motivation with my wife and daughter at home, so this feels very cool. “I was trying to stick to my race plan and not get too distracted about those around me. “Compared to the preliminary race, where I got sucked into who I was racing, today was so much better.
“This race has given me some learnings that hopefully I can work on before the Paralympic Games.”
A former cyclist and triathlete, Pritchard became paralysed from the waist down after a cycling crash in September 2016.
🚩 A-FINAL : PR1 Men’s Single Sculls (PR1 M1x)
🥇 Benjamin Pritchard, Great Britain
🥈 Giacomo Perini, Italy
🥉 Erik Horrie, Australia #WorldRowingCup #WRCPoznan pic.twitter.com/anFKN5P2Ds— World Rowing (@WorldRowing) June 16, 2024
He first took up indoor rowing during his rehab at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and was quickly spotted by British Rowing staff, joining the Para development squad in 2017.
Pritchard made his international debut for the GB Rowing Team in 2019, claiming two bronze medals at the Gavirate International Regatta, before winning bronze at World Cup II in Poznan on his World Cup debut.
He was then selected to represent Great Britain as the PR1 men’s single sculler at the 2019 World Championships where he finished just one second outside of the medals in fourth.
Welsh Rowing Ace Ben Pritchard Eyeing Paris 2024 Glory After Bagging First Worlds Medal
Pritchard won silver at the 2021 Varese European Championships and at his debut Paralympics in Tokyo, he finished fifth in the PR1 single sculls.
A successful year of medals followed in 2022, where he claimed a silver medal at the World Cup in Belgrade before securing two bronze medals in the European Championships in Munich and on the World stage in the Czech Republic.
He returned to form at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, where he claimed another bronze.
In Poznan, Great Britain dominated the Paralympic events, winning three out of the five Sunday races.
Lauren Rowles and Gregg Stevenson maintained their unbeaten record in the PR2 Mix2x, and their teammates in the PR3 Mix4+ extended their winning streak which dates back to 2011.
Ben Pritchard Picks Up Another Honour . . . Athlete Of The Year