Gabriel is the British Champion!

Gabriel Bingham is rightly proud of the fact that at 16 he is the British Indoor Rowing Champion after entering the virtual competition and being adjudged the winner over a preset time to fend off the strong challenge of talented youngsters across Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland - and as well as taking the coveted gold medal he also claimed the bronze medal in another event during a busy time for him.
All of this success came via a rowing machine set up in the family’s lounge in Puncheston and attached to an app which was provided when he made his entry and carefully recorded every participant’s number of strokes achieved in a period of six minutes - and Gabriel admits that he felt he had done very well as he was aiming to improve on his previous personal best of 1,580 metres.
“I had borrowed a rowing machine from a family friend and made sure I had properly warmed up before the pre-timed start and then it was a case of putting everything into making sure that I utilised the time to the full because too much effort early on could result in me flagging over the later stages.
‘I was shattered at the end after being encouraged all the way by my family and we all thrilled when my tally of 1,609 metres flashed up on the screen with the announcement that I had beaten all 32 of the other rowers in the class to take the title.”
The bronze medal came around the same period of time but this category allowed entrants to take part with multiple chances over a pre-arranged time span - and Gabriel was pleased to achieve his third place, with the winner coming from near London.

An early start to rowing – and outdoor success already

His involvement with indoor rowing began as part of his training machine for his Celtic Longboat rowing at Aberporth Yacht Club, where he has already made a name for himself as part of a four-member junior crew which rowed in the Welsh Coastal League last season after competing at venues as far afield as Pembroke, Llangrannog, Aberystwyth and Ynys Mon. The mixed junior under 16 crew the north, south and joint Welsh Leeagues last year.
“There were five races, usually over three to five kilometres and in all weathers, and they are physically demanding - and I competed in three of them in my regular position at No 3 in the boat, and it was nice to take the title which saw us all receive a certificate because the trophy wasn’t readily available!
“It was a great learning curve for me and the worst things were the blisters on my hands which I’m reliably informed by my father will ease as I get older.”

And dad Andy should know because as well as supporting Gabriel he is also a rower at Aberporth and there is a friendly rivalry building already over who is the better rower. Mum Emma played netball in her younger days and both parents are great supporters of Gabriel and brother Gus, who was the first to take up rowing but is now focussed on playing American Football after discovering this new sport for him at Nottingham Trent University.
Prior to his rowing involvement, Gabriel dabbled with rugby as a winger with Fishguard & Goodwick Rugby Club, where Randall Williams was an excellent coach who taught him lots, including a few new words when the team wasn’t playing well!
His other sports then revolved around the water because he swam for some time at Fishguard Fliers Swimming Club, specialising in breast stroke and back stroke and he won club championships and competed in county championships on a regular basis for a while.
Sailing has also featured on his sporting itinerary at Fishguard Yacht Club, where Andy has assisted with coaching and helps to man the support boat for local regattas, and after starting out in the Topper class Gabriel now competes with his Laser, which is single-handed and travels much faster through the water.

Rowing with Aberporth – and Carmarthen too

Gabriel also rowed at Fishguard for a while but by the time he was starting school at Ysgol Bro Gwaun he had tried Longboat Rowing and took to it like a duck to water - and so he joined Aberporth and has been involved for quite a while now, training hard in the gym over the cold winters and looking forward to outdoor training and competitions as the days get longer and the weather warms up.
As well as being a member at Aberporth he has also started rowing at Llys y Fran Reservoir with the Carmarthen Rowing Club to keep fit over the winter, which he has thoroughly enjoyed.
This year will see Gabriel taking part in his GCE examinations but he aims to carry on rowing as his means of relaxation and although he wouldn’t dream of looking too far ahead there is no doubt that for any rower it is good news that the sport will be on the schedule for the Commonwealth Games in Australia and coastal long boat rowing could be in the 2028 Olympic Games so who is to say that there might or might not be Pembrokeshire representatives.
And we at FeelGood Magazine could only say that we would be delighted if Gabriel Bingham was one such name to conjure up because he represents all that is good in sport, with total commitment and skill levels but also a sense of enjoyment and fun – and we wish him a hardening of his hands - and every success in his future involvement in rowing!