Pam Relph

Pamela Relph was born on November 14, 1989, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. She initially pursued an Army scholarship at Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College and later studied Physics at the University of Birmingham. Her ambition for a military career as an engineering officer with the Royal Engineers was cut short due to arthritis. In August 2010, her older sister, Monica Relph, who was a member of the GB Rowing Team, introduced her to the sport of rowing. This introduction marked a significant turning point in Pam’s career.

Pam Relph quickly demonstrated a natural aptitude for rowing. By November 2010, she secured second place in the British Indoor Rowing Championships. Her international debut came in 2011, where she won a World Cup gold medal with the Legs, Trunk and Arms (LTA) mixed coxed four in Munich. That same year, she also achieved a World Championship title in Bled, Slovenia. She continued this success by winning another World Cup gold in Munich in 2012, leading to her selection for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. At the London Paralympics, in front of a home crowd at Eton Dorney, her crew secured a gold medal, finishing two seconds ahead of Germany. This achievement was particularly notable as it came just two years after she began rowing. Following her Paralympic success, she was appointed an MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for her services to rowing.

Relph maintained her dominance in the sport throughout the Rio 2016 Paralympiad. She and her LTA mixed coxed four crew, including Grace Clough, Dan Brown, James Fox, and cox Oliver James, successfully defended their Paralympic title at the Rio 2016 Games, making her the first para-rower to win two Paralympic gold medals. This victory solidified an undefeated streak in major international competitions that spanned nearly six years and 14 events. Her career also features three additional World Championship golds in 2013, 2014, and 2015, consistently proving her and her team’s position as leaders in the LTA mixed coxed four category. Her consistent achievements and leadership within the para-rowing community highlight her significant impact on the sport.