OUR AMBASSADOR ERIN KENNEDY LEADS HER CREW TO PARALYMPIC GLORY
Erin Kennedy led the Great Britian PR3 mixed coxed four to victory at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Britain led from 500m and finished more than three seconds ahead of silver medallists the United States in a time of six minutes 55 seconds and 30 milliseconds. The crew eased to gold and in doing so continued their unbeaten record which stretches back to 2011.
Kennedy, together with Rakauskaite, were the reigning Olympic champions in the event having won at the Tokyo Games.
This time they were joined by Frankie Allen, Ed Fuller and Josh O’Brien who were all making their Paralympics debut, but the changes did not affect their performance.
The team also broke their own world record by nearly four seconds in the heats at the Games.
Erin, who received the all-clear from stage two breast cancer last year, said she felt more emotional than she expected after her win because of her journey of recovery.
Frankie, Fresh Air’s marketing manager was present at the games along with Erin’s husband Sam, family, friends and Erin’s Oncologists. Frankie said she “felt honoured to watch Erin win Gold from the stands and many tears were shed” from Erin’s support team.
OUR AMBASSADOR ERIN KENNEDY LEADS HER CREW TO PARALYMPIC GLORY
Erin Kennedy led the Great Britian PR3 mixed coxed four to victory at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Britain led from 500m and finished more than three seconds ahead of silver medallists the United States in a time of six minutes 55 seconds and 30 milliseconds. The crew eased to gold and in doing so continued their unbeaten record which stretches back to 2011.
Kennedy, together with Rakauskaite, were the reigning Olympic champions in the event having won at the Tokyo Games.
This time they were joined by Frankie Allen, Ed Fuller and Josh O’Brien who were all making their Paralympics debut, but the changes did not affect their performance.
The team also broke their own world record by nearly four seconds in the heats at the Games.
Erin, who received the all-clear from stage two breast cancer last year, said she felt more emotional than she expected after her win because of her journey of recovery.
Frankie, Fresh Air’s marketing manager was present at the games along with Erin’s husband Sam, family, friends and Erin’s Oncologists. Frankie said she “felt honoured to watch Erin win Gold from the stands and many tears were shed” from Erin’s support team.
We asked Erin how she was feeling post-race, and her response gave us all goosebumps!
“It has been said that in order to achieve something great, it takes a village and for me it could be truer! Winning Gold in Paris is a feat that I can only take credit for by acknowledging and thanking the amazing people who have been with me on the journey. I have been so lucky to have the Fresh Air family with me as I have navigated the past three years.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer just months after winning Gold in Tokyo and I really thought it might have been the end of my career. Determined to keep on training and competing, I flew to Serbia to race the World Cup just hours after my diagnosis, and I even managed to compete and win the European Championships whilst on chemotherapy. It was when I was on treatment that I first met the Craze family (the brains behind Fresh Air!) and they have been with me, cheering me on ever since. I had my double mastectomy just after meeting them and they were always in touch, checking in on me and encouraging me at every step as I made my return to international competition.
Racing in Paris was genuinely a dream come true and the regatta was everything I could have wished for! We set a new World Best Time in the heats, smashing four seconds off the previous record and then we won the final ahead of hot competition from the Americans. I had been working towards the event for so long, it felt surreal to be there and now looking back, I still must pinch myself.
Becoming Fresh Air’s first ever Ambassador has been such a privilege and their backing in the build-up to Paris has been instrumental to my success. They have been my biggest fans and have supported me in more ways that I could have imagined. I am so very grateful to Lee, Frankie, Charlie, and the rest of the Fresh Air family, who have been so kind and enthusiastic about my journey to the top of the podium – I couldn’t have done it without them.” Erin Kennedy
The Fresh Air team are so incredibly proud of Erin’s achievements inside and outside of the boat and are looking forward to seeing what Erin’s next move is!
We asked Erin how she was feeling post-race, and her response gave us all goosebumps!
“It has been said that in order to achieve something great, it takes a village and for me it could be truer! Winning Gold in Paris is a feat that I can only take credit for by acknowledging and thanking the amazing people who have been with me on the journey. I have been so lucky to have the Fresh Air family with me as I have navigated the past three years.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer just months after winning Gold in Tokyo and I really thought it might have been the end of my career. Determined to keep on training and competing, I flew to Serbia to race the World Cup just hours after my diagnosis, and I even managed to compete and win the European Championships whilst on chemotherapy. It was when I was on treatment that I first met the Craze family (the brains behind Fresh Air!) and they have been with me, cheering me on ever since. I had my double mastectomy just after meeting them and they were always in touch, checking in on me and encouraging me at every step as I made my return to international competition.
Racing in Paris was genuinely a dream come true and the regatta was everything I could have wished for! We set a new World Best Time in the heats, smashing four seconds off the previous record and then we won the final ahead of hot competition from the Americans. I had been working towards the event for so long, it felt surreal to be there and now looking back, I still must pinch myself.
Becoming Fresh Air’s first ever Ambassador has been such a privilege and their backing in the build-up to Paris has been instrumental to my success. They have been my biggest fans and have supported me in more ways that I could have imagined. I am so very grateful to Lee, Frankie, Charlie, and the rest of the Fresh Air family, who have been so kind and enthusiastic about my journey to the top of the podium – I couldn’t have done it without them.” Erin Kennedy
The Fresh Air team are so incredibly proud of Erin’s achievements inside and outside of the boat and are looking forward to seeing what Erin’s next move is!
