Beatrice Hagues
Squad
About Beatrice Hagues
Where did you learn to row and who was your first coach?
Nottingham Rowing Club, Adam Stancer.
What inspires you about sport?
The idea of pushing yourself to the absolute limit, to be constantly searching for something more from yourself, knowing that everyone around you is fighting their own battles.
Explain your earliest memory of The Boat Race
I remember watching The Boat Race with my mum when I was really small, before I knew anything about rowing. She had rowed in the third eight at Girton when she was here, and hadn't taken any of it very seriously, but it meant I've always supported the Light Blues.
Do you relish in hours in the gym and miles in the dark, or do you live for race days?
Absolutely adore racing, but something about the grind makes it all so much better. Knowing that you're getting things done before most of the world is even awake. Winter is where speed is made and there's something about the dark and the cold that makes you feel like there's absolutely nothing that could hold you back.
What's the secret to managing elite-level sport with studying at one of the top universities in the world?
Passion. If you don't want it badly enough, then everything that could stop you trying to get there will. There's so many reasons to stop, that you really have to want it every single day, even if it isn't easy. You end up having to become super efficient, so that your degree fills only the hours that you give it.
