Every moment they had together to train was precious for New Zealand rowers Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors, who won gold in the women’s double sculls at the 2024 Paris Olympics last night.
Lucy Spoors and her son Rupert (left) and Brooke Francis and her daughter Keira celebrate the naming of the New Zealand Olympic rowing team at the Sir Don Rowlands Event Centre in Cambridge last month. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
The Cambridge “super mums” beat reigning Olympic and world champions Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis of Romania to the finish line in a thrilling race at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, 20km east of Paris.
Speaking to Cambridge News at the naming of the New Zealand Olympic rowing team at Lake Karapiro on June 4, as they were preparing to leave for France, Francis said there had been a lot of late nights since she had her daughter Keira in September 2022.
She had learned she could “operate at a very high level on not much sleep”.
“I guess I’ve probably learnt that I’m capable of more than what I thought I was, prior to having a kid,” she said.
“I remember one day in particular when I had four hours and it was four hours’ broken, not even in a row, but I guess having Lucy in the double as well, who’s also got a kid, you know what each other’s going through.”
Spoors had her son, Rupert Robertson, in December 2022.
“Normally the team is selected in March, so I knew my run in to be selected was potentially going to be too tight, but I basically just started training when I felt like I could, and thought if I can get myself in a position to trial, then I will,” she said.
Francis said she and Spoors hadn’t actually missed many trainings because of their children, but it was nice having the full understanding and trust of a training partner in a similar situation.
“That time away from the kids is precious so we make the most of it and train really hard when we get those moments, because they can be few and far between,” she said.
Asked what had driven her to strive for Olympic gold, Francis said: “I just really enjoy it.”.
“I enjoy the friends I’ve made from sport, I enjoy exercise, the physical side of things and just that we have an amazing team who is pushing each and every one of us to get more out of ourselves each and every day.
“I think it’s just a really nice environment to be in and to work in and to have that as a job.”
She thanked the Cambridge community, which she said was “really good at supporting rowers”.
“There’s so many rowers here,” she said.
“Thank you for supporting everyone who’s on their journey, from novices and from young athletes and just welcoming in rowers to our community – it’s awesome.”
Shortly after Spoors and Francis won Olympic gold with their children Rupert and Keira watching, Spoors’ sister Phoebe took bronze in the women’s coxless four with Jackie Gowler, Kerri Williams and Davina Waddy.
Topping off a great night for the kiwis, Logan Ulrich, Ollie Maclean, Tom Murray and Matt Macdonald clinched silver in the men’s coxless four.
The New Zealand rowers including Emma Twigg, centre, gold medallists Lucy Spoors, second right, and Brooke Francis, right.
1 August, 10pm
Breaking News – Brooke and Lucy win gold!!
Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis have won gold in the women’s double scull final at the Paris Olympics.
The Cambridge-based rowers timed their race brilliantly, with a spectacular burst in the final 700 metres.
They edged the reigning Olympic champions from Romania.
See: World champions
4 July
Qualifying for the Olympic Games is tough enough, but Cambridge rowers Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors have powered through that challenge while navigating the choppy waters of new parenthood.
The two mums will represent New Zealand in the women’s double sculls at the games in Paris this month.
Lucy Spoors and her son Rupert (left) and Brooke Francis and her daughter Keira celebrate the naming of the New Zealand Olympic rowing team at the Sir Don Rowlands Event Centre in Cambridge last month. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
Both women are former world champions. Spoors won silver in the women’s eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Francis won silver in the women’s double.
“After Tokyo I wanted to start a family, and I didn’t see that as a barrier to continuing in sport,” said Francis, whose daughter Keira was born in September 2022.
“So I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of having Keira with me this cycle, and almost the challenge of having her has made it more rewarding in lots of ways.
“It’s probably made me enjoy every day just that little bit more, just having her, and having that perspective of every day is slightly different and it’s not going to be perfect. That’s almost a good mindset, being an athlete, that you’re not necessarily looking for perfection every day, but you’re looking for consistency and showing up and you know that you’re probably tougher than what you think you are.”
Francis moved to Cambridge 11 years ago and owns a house in town with her husband Jeff.
“I love it,” she said. “I particularly love it, having a family. The streets are safe, there’s lots of parks, there’s always things to do on the weekends, whether it’s the trains or the market, so we love living here.”
Spoors, her boatmate, did her final year of high school at St Peter’s Cambridge and has lived here for more than 10 years.
“Definitely I consider Cambridge home now, I’ve been here for long enough,” she said.
“I love Cambridge. I think coming from Christchurch, coming from a busier town, I’ve always loved, I guess, the quaintness of Cambridge and I love feeling part of a smaller community, and I’ve always felt this community has supported me to row well.”
She and her partner Brook Robertson had their son, Rupert Robertson, in December 2002.
“I knew I had potentially another Olympic Games in me, so I thought if it’s possible I need to give it a shot, and it’s been really special to give it a shot with him alongside me,” Spoors said.
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, but for me it was adapting to life as a mum, and adapting to how that made my rowing environment different… having to be flexible with just the normal juggles of being a mum was probably the thing that took the most getting used to for me.”
She said being in the same boat as Francis – in more ways than one – had meant a lot.
“We’ve definitely learned to lean on each other,” she said.
Lucy Spoors and her son Rupert (left) and Brooke Francis and her daughter Keira celebrate the naming of the New Zealand Olympic rowing team at the Sir Don Rowlands Event Centre in Cambridge last month. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins.
