Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne
Rower // Women's Squad
Date of Birth: 1st Oct 1994 (29 years old)
Club: Reading University BC
Height: 174cm
Hometown: Hereford
Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne is one of the most promising young female scullers in the country.
Having learned to row at Hereford RC, Mathilda was a member of the Start programme at Reading, having previously been at Gloucester-Hartpury.
She came through the GB Rowing Team ranks, representing her country as a junior at the Coupe de la Jeunesse and at three successive World Rowing U23 Championships – winning gold in the Women’s double sculls at her latest outing.
At the opening World Rowing Cup regatta of the 2017 season, Mathilda won bronze in a Women’s quad with Beth Bryan, Holly Nixon and Jessica Leyden, following it up with another bronze at the European Championships. The quartet topped off their year with a remarkable bronze medal at the World Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton.
She continued in the Women’s quad for the remainder of the Olympiad, notably winning a silver medal at the 2021 European Rowing Championships with Hannah Scott, her sister Charlotte Hodgkins Byrne and Lucy Glover. The crew then finished seventh overall at Tokyo 2020.
After having her son in 2022, she returned to racing in 2023, winning the first Sophie Hosking Cup for Women’s Championship Sculls at Metropolitan Regatta at her first race back.
An impressive 2016 season saw Mathilda make her senior bow and win her first World U23 gold medal
On The Water
©Peter Spurrier/Intersport Images
2016
Rio 2016 Olympiad: 2013 – 2016
Hodgkins Byrne finished fourth in the women’s single scull at the 2016 GB Rowing Team Olympic Trials, then won the World, U23 and Junior Trials a couple of weeks later. She was selected as a racing spare for the 2016 European Championships in Brandenburg, Germany and impressed on her senior GB debut as she won the women’s single scull B final to finish seventh overall.
She was again selected as a racing spare for the final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, finishing fourth in her semi-final. She and Jess Leyden then formed an extremely impressive women’s double scull at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Rotterdam. Clear-water winners in both their heat and semi-final, they produced another top-class display of sculling in the final to take gold in emphatic fashion.
The 2015 season saw Hodgkins Byrne win the B final of the women’s single sculls at the GB Rowing Team Senior and U23 Trials. She had also been the fastest women’s U23 rower at the GB Rowing Team’s Winter Assessment in February 2015.
She was selected to race alongside Georgia Francis in the women’s double sculls at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, finishing fourth overall.
That was her second experience at world under-23 level, having finished fifth in the women’s quad scull at the 2014 Championships in Varese, Italy.
Rowing in a Great Britain U23 composite crew, Hodgkins Byrne won the elite quad sculls event at 2014 Henley Royal Regatta.
She also teamed up with Beth Rodford to finish runners-up in the women’s double sculls at the 2014 British Rowing Senior Championships.
As a member of the Gloucester-Hartpury Start Programme, Hodgkins-Byrne enjoyed quad scull success at the National Schools Regatta, British Rowing Junior Championships and at Henley Royal Regatta in 2013. She was also part of the fastest U23 crew at the British Rowing Senior Championships that year.
London 2012 Olympiad: 2009 – 2012
She learnt to row at Hereford RC in 2011 after being told by coach John Griffiths that she had the right build for the sport.
She made her GB Rowing Team debut as part of the women’s quad at the 2012 Coupe de la Jeunesse in Banyoles, Spain.
GB Competitive Record
| Year | Event | Position | Boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Olympic Games Regatta Tokyo, JPN |
1 (FB Final) | W4x |
| 2021 | European Rowing Championships Varese, ITA |
W4x | |
| 2019 | World Rowing Championships Linz Ottensheim, AUT |
6 | W4x |
| 2019 | World Rowing Cup III Rotterdam, NED |
4 | W4x |
| 2019 | European Rowing Championships Lucerne, SUI |
5 | W4x |
| 2018 | World Rowing Championships Plovdiv, BUL |
5 | W4x |
| 2018 | European Rowing Championships Glasgow, GBR |
4 | W4x |
| 2018 | World Rowing Cup II Linz Ottensheim, AUT |
1 (FB Final) | W4x |
| 2017 | World Rowing Championships Sarasota-Bradenton, USA |
W4x | |
| 2017 | World Rowing Cup III Lucerne, SUI |
5 | W4x |
| 2017 | European Rowing Championships Racice, CZE |
W4x | |
| 2017 | World Rowing Cup I Belgrade, SRB |
W4x | |
| 2016 | World Rowing Under 23 Championships Rotterdam, NED |
BW2x | |
| 2016 | European Rowing Championships Brandenburg, GER |
1 (FB Final) | W1x |
| 2015 | World Rowing Under 23 Championships Plovdiv, BUL |
4 | BW2x |
| 2014 | World Rowing U23 Championships Varese, ITA |
5 | BW4x |
- Year:
- 2020
- Event:
- Olympic Games Regatta
Tokyo, JPN - Position:
- 1 (FB Final)
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2021
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Varese, ITA - Position:
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Linz Ottensheim, AUT - Position:
- 6
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup III
Rotterdam, NED - Position:
- 4
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2019
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Lucerne, SUI - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Plovdiv, BUL - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Glasgow, GBR - Position:
- 4
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2018
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup II
Linz Ottensheim, AUT - Position:
- 1 (FB Final)
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Championships
Sarasota-Bradenton, USA - Position:
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup III
Lucerne, SUI - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Racice, CZE - Position:
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2017
- Event:
- World Rowing Cup I
Belgrade, SRB - Position:
- Boat:
- W4x
- Year:
- 2016
- Event:
- World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Rotterdam, NED - Position:
- Boat:
- BW2x
- Year:
- 2016
- Event:
- European Rowing Championships
Brandenburg, GER - Position:
- 1 (FB Final)
- Boat:
- W1x
- Year:
- 2015
- Event:
- World Rowing Under 23 Championships
Plovdiv, BUL - Position:
- 4
- Boat:
- BW2x
- Year:
- 2014
- Event:
- World Rowing U23 Championships
Varese, ITA - Position:
- 5
- Boat:
- BW4x
Beyond the Boat
Hodgkins Byrne passed her A-Levels at Hartpury College in 2014 and is now studying at Reading University.
Her younger sister Charlotte was also Start programme at Gloucester-Hartpury and was part of the British women’s quad scull crew which won bronze at the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships and gold at the 2017 World U23 Championships.
Personal information
| Place of Birth | Current Address | Hometown | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | Herefordshire | Hereford | WAGS |
- Place of Birth:
- London
- Current Address:
- Herefordshire
- Hometown:
- Hereford
- Region:
- WAGS
| Date of Birth | Weight | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1st October 1994 | 73kg | 174cm |
- Date of Birth:
- 1st October 1994
- Weight:
- 73kg
- Height:
- 174cm
| Education |
|---|
| Michael Hall, Hartpury College, Reading University |
- Education:
- Michael Hall, Hartpury College, Reading University