Karen Bennett
Rower // Women's Squad
Date of Birth: 5th Feb 1989 (35 years old)
Club: Leander Club
Height: 179.00
Hometown: Edinburgh
Karen Bennett is a double Olympian, who won an historic silver medal with the women's eight at Rio 2016.
Bennett is a graduate from the British Rowing Start programme. She won silver in the women’s four at the 2015 World Championships before establishing herself in the eight for 2016. This crew went on to win the European Championships that year before securing the Olympic silver medal – the first medal won by British women in the eight at an Olympic Games.
Her 2017 season started well, winning gold in the women’s pair with Holly Norton at the opening World Cup in Belgrade, following it up with a bronze at the European Championships in Racice. Bennett returned to the eight for the second World Cup, winning silver in Poznan and, after a brief return to the pair for Lucerne, Bennett was selected in the eight for the 2017 World Championships, finishing fifth.
Still in the eight, in 2018 she won silver at the Europeans before finishing sixth at the Worlds; in 2019, she took European silver again and came fifth at the Worlds.
She moved into the coxless four for the 2021 season, winning bronze at the European Rowing Championships before placing fourth at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Returning to rowing in 2023, she won silver in the eight at the European Championships.
Karen earned selection for the women's eight in 2016, helping to secure Olympic silver and European gold in a historic season
On The Water
©Peter Spurrier/Intersport Images
2016
2015
2014
Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016
After impressing in training and trials throughout the winter, Bennett was selected for the women’s eight at the start of the 2016 season and helped to secure an eye-catching gold at the European Championships in Brandenburg, with GB surging through to take the victory in a perfectly judged race.
Another thrilling late push at the Lucerne World Cup saw the GB eight go mighty close to overhauling the Olympic and world champions from the United States. They won silver again at the World Cup in Poznan, this time behind New Zealand.
No British women’s eight had ever won an Olympic medal but Bennett and her crew-mates ended that wait at Rio 2016 as they took silver in a photo finish after an epic race, featuring another trademark surge through the field in the second half.
Bennett was selected for the senior GB Rowing Team for the first time in 2014 as part of the women’s eight that competed at the Windermere Cup in Seattle.
She also represented Britain at the 2014 World University Rowing Championships in Gravelines, France, teaming up with Becca Chin, Pippa Whittaker and Michelle Vezie to win women’s four gold with a dominant performance.
In 2015, Bennett finished sixth with Katherine Douglas in the women’s pair at the GB Rowing Team Senior and U23 Truials. She was given another chance to impress at the Essen Regatta in Germany, and she took it with both hands, winning dougle gold with Chin in the women’s pair. The same partnership competed as a second GB pair at the World Cups in Varese and Lucerne, finishing tenth in both.
Bennett and Chin were then selected alongside Lucinda Gooderham and Holly Norton for a women’s four at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, where they won an impressive silver medal.
London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012
Bennett was a member of the women’s eight that finished fifth at the 2011 World Rowing U23 Championships in Amsterdam.
GB Competitive Record
| Year | Event | Position | Boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | European Rowing Championships Bled, SLO |
W8+ | |
| 2020 | Olympic Regatta Tokyo, JPN |
4 | W4- |
| 2021 | European Rowing Championships Varese, ITA |
W4- | |
| 2019 | World Rowing Championships Linz Ottensheim, AUT |
5 | W8+ |
| 2019 | World Rowing Cup III Rotterdam, NED |
5 | W8+ |
| 2019 | World Rowing Cup II Poznan, POL |
W8+ | |
| 2019 | European Rowing Championships Lucerne, SUI |
W8+ | |
| 2018 | World Rowing Championships Plovdiv, BUL |
6 | W8+ |
| 2018 | European Rowing Championships Glasgow, GBR |
W8+ | |
| 2018 | World Rowing Cup II Linz Ottensheim, AUT |
W4- | |
| 2018 | World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB |
W8+ | |
| 2017 | World Rowing Championships Sarasota-Bradenton, USA |
5 | W8+ |
| 2017 | World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI |
4 | W2- |
| 2017 | World Rowing Cup II Poznan, POL |
W8+ | |
| 2017 | European Rowing Championships Racice, CZE |
W2- | |
| 2017 | World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB |
W2- | |
| 2016 | Olympic Games Regatta Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
W8+ | |
| 2016 | World Rowing Cup III Poznan, POL |
W8+ | |
| 2016 | World Rowing Cup II Lucerne, SUI |
W8+ | |
| 2016 | European Rowing Championships Brandenburg, GER |
W8+ | |
| 2015 | World Rowing Championships Aiguebelette, FRA |
W4- | |
| 2015 | World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI |
4 (FB Final) | W2- |
| 2015 | World Rowing Cup II Varese, ITA |
4 (FB Final) | W2- |
| 2011 | Under 23 World Rowing Championships Amsterdam, NED |
5 (F Final) | BW8+ |
- Year:
- 2023
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Bled, SLO - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2020
- Event:
- Olympic Regatta
Tokyo, JPN - Position:
- 4
- Boat:
- W4-
- Year:
- 2021
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Varese, ITA - Position:
- Boat:
- W4-
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Linz Ottensheim, AUT - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup III
Rotterdam, NED - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Lucerne, SUI - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Plovdiv, BUL - Position:
- 6
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Glasgow, GBR - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup II
Linz Ottensheim, AUT - Position:
- Boat:
- W4-
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI - Position:
- 4
- Boat:
- W2-
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup II
Poznan, POL - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Racice, CZE - Position:
- Boat:
- W2-
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB - Position:
- Boat:
- W2-
- Year:
- 2016
- Event:
- Olympic Games Regatta
Rio de Janeiro, BRA - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2016
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup III
Poznan, POL - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2016
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup II
Lucerne, SUI - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2016
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Brandenburg, GER - Position:
- Boat:
- W8+
- Year:
- 2015
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Aiguebelette, FRA - Position:
- Boat:
- W4-
- Year:
- 2015
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI - Position:
- 4 (FB Final)
- Boat:
- W2-
- Year:
- 2015
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup II
Varese, ITA - Position:
- 4 (FB Final)
- Boat:
- W2-
- Year:
- 2011
- Event:
- Under 23 World Rowing Championships
Amsterdam, NED - Position:
- 5 (F Final)
- Boat:
- BW8+
More info...
Club: Leander Club
Boat: Women’s Squad
Role: Rower
Coaches: Jane Hall
Learnt to Row: Heart of Scotland BC at Strathclyde Park
Original Club(s): Heart of Scotland BC
Original Coach(es): Lee Boucher
Beyond the Boat
A part-time rowing coach, Bennett studied Sports Rehabilitation at St Mary’s University in London and developed her talent with the GB Rowing Team Start programme in Glasgow.
She is Lottery funded through UK Sport.
Personal information
| Place of Birth | Current Address | Hometown | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth, Australia | East Molesey | Edinburgh | Scotland |
- Place of Birth:
- Perth, Australia
- Current Address:
- East Molesey
- Hometown:
- Edinburgh
- Region:
- Scotland
| Date of Birth | Weight | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 5th February 1989 | 75kg | 179cm |
- Date of Birth:
- 5th February 1989
- Weight:
- 75kg
- Height:
- 179cm
| Education |
|---|
| St Mary’s University |
- Education:
- St Mary’s University
