Sophie Hosking is a retired rower who was on Team GB, winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics, as well as participating in several world championships with excellent results. She was even granted an MBE for her contributions to rowing! But she’s more than just a Gold medalist and holder of an MBE, she’s an alumnus of our very own Trevelyan College, who studied Chemistry and Physics. In an exclusive interview for HEX Magazine, we asked Sophie Hosking about her years at Trevs, her Olympic journey, and her life since.

Life at Trevelyan College

Sophie’s sporting success came long before her Olympic Gold, however. While initially, she did not row at Durham, she felt incomplete without it, and picked it up soon into her time here. But she didn’t stop there—the prodigious athlete also played for Trevs football and even darts, describing the atmosphere at Trevs as being “really supportive” of sports, with it being “an encouraged part of College life. She credited the “welcoming” nature of Trevs as being something that has stuck with her all of her life, and cited the structure of our landings as being conducive to making good friends. The common return to college in final year, she claimed, was a testament to the merits of that system.

It wasn’t just the good social life at university that helped her reach such, heights, however. She worked with coach and former professional athlete Jared Deacon for strength and conditioning, who served as an inspiration for her to later go into that world.

[To all athletes] Keep going and don’t quit… it’s worth the journey alone

Chasing Olympic Gold

Lots of us think our degrees are tough. But for Sophie, those times were probably fond memories once she turned professional. 49 weeks a year, she was on, working 6-7 days per week, with several sessions in one day. A job like that takes dedication and perseverance, traits she assigns learning to her time at Durham, being on her own for the first time and still contending in the “very competitive” Durham sports world. But all that work paid off when she won Olympic Gold, an experience that served as a mix of relief, vindication for all her work, and extreme gratitude towards all that helped her journey along. She and her partner didn’t allow themselves to daydream about the feeling of winning before the event, so all emotions were heightened when they cinched that victory in front of the home crowd. To Sophie, the Olympics were far more special than any other Olympic championship she participated in. They were in her own backyard, the great city of London and there was so much more interest for the sport than ever before. As a part of Team GB, she felt the joys and triumphs of all the British athletes as her own.

Life and Retrospection

Like all professional athletes, Sophie Hosking eventually retired, securing her Olympic Gold and excellent World Championship record. She described that period of moving on and switching careers as a “grieving process, where [her] whole direction changed”. But she did not give up, she reached out to old contacts, figuring out her niche, and trained in law, a career where she appreciated the long training period, as it gave her time to transition from the high-intensity world of sports. Looking back, she misses the momentous occasions of Uni life, like the relief that stems from submitting all your summatives before summer. But most importantly, she encourages all Trevs athletes who are balancing high-intensity athletics and academics to “keep going and don’t quit, it’s very rewarding”. This is the best time of our lives to try some activity more than just academics, and she encourages all of us to take advantage of that. Simultaneously, she believes that it’s important to enjoy it all and make sure you don’t get a case of tunnel vision!

My Impression

Sophie Hosking is a giant, both mentally and in her athletic achievements. Speaking with her was a fantastic insight into the mind and life of a high performance athlete. As Sports Editor, I was delighted to hear her strong endorsement of Trevs Sporting life, and I echo her encouragement to join a team. If an Olympian can play three sports at Trevs while preparing for a rowing career, then surely each and every last one of us can play at least one.

Image via Sophie Hoskings