Maths Teacher Secures Gold, Outperforming Former Olympian at Indoor Rowing Event

Ben Stephens, a maths teacher, has revealed he was unaware of his opponent’s Olympic background until after they shared the podium, despite defeating a former Olympic rower in a recent competition. Mr. Stephens secured a gold medal last weekend at the British Rowing Indoor Championships Masters, competing in the open 2,000m category for men aged 30-39. His winning time of 6:07 was nearly 10 seconds quicker than Alan Sinclair, who finished third and had represented Team GB at the 2016 Games in Rio. However, Mr. Stephens informed the BBC that his recognition of Mr. Sinclair’s identity occurred only after he shared photographs with other members of the York City Rowing Club. Mr. Stephens, who resides in Barlby, further disclosed that they had competed and celebrated alongside each other before he became aware of his opponent’s distinguished past. “We were talking to each other on the podium, just having a chat in general. Then the guys back at the rowing club said ‘you know who that is right’?” he recounted. He further commented, “It’s a fantastic scalp. He’s obviously got great pedigree in the sport and has done it for a long time, so it was a little bit more of a cherry on top.” Mr. Sinclair, currently 39 years old, had previously placed fourth in the men’s pair event during the Rio Games. Mr. Stephens’ introduction to rowing began with an indoor machine, purchased for the family home by his father, who was employed on oil rigs. He did not transition to on-water rowing until his university years, having been motivated by the London Olympics in 2012. Despite entering the event with confidence, having benchmarked his performance against previous victors, he cautioned: “You never really know what’s going to happen on the day. Someone who’s not even on the results from last year could turn up, like I did, and do something that you’re just not expecting.”