THE bladesmiths of Monmouth Rowing Club took the 1972 Munich Olympic lake by storm to win eight gold medals at the 2023 European Masters Championships.

Mark-Stewart Woods was incredibly involved in all eight wins, while also winning the overall sculling trophy for his over-60 age category.

The regatta ran for four days and attracted more than 2,250 rowers from over 41 countries.

Having taken seven golds at the World Masters in France last year, plus three more in composite boats, Monmouth RC sent 23 rowers to Germany this time to compete in 67 different races, with most racing three times a day over 1000m.

Rowers race once in each event in a drawn heat, with several races across each age category.

Tim Earnshaw and Stewart-Woods were bowball to bowball with a Czech boat at half-way in their MF (over-60) double sculls race, but powered away to win by 2L.

Mark then came down the track with one blade with Nick Hooton to win ME (over-55) pairs by 1 1/2L from their nearest Upper Thames rivals.

Anna van Leemputten finished a close third in her WMC (over-42) singles race, matched by the men’s MD (over-50) 8. But Mark then ended day one with another win in the MD (over-50) doubles with Athens Olympian and club coach Tim Male, winning by over 2L from an Austrian duo.

Day two saw Stewart-Woods, Hooton, Male and James Aliison, coxed by Taryn Birkett take gold in their MD fours race, by 2 1/2L from a German crew.

And Mark followed that up with Male in the MD pairs, winning by the same distance from another host nation boat.

Van Leemputten raced to another third in her WMD singles race, followed by gold for the ME four of Stewart-Woods, Hooton, Male and Allison.

And Mark then made it win number seven storming into a 4L lead by half way in MF singles before cruising in for a comfortable 3L win over French and Spanish opposition and still setting the best time across all the races in his age category.

The women’s ME 8 of Liz Lewis, Maggie Hickland, Dawn Brace, Susan Smith, Mary Miller, Louise Allison, Bonita Birkett, Kate Hooton and cox Taryn Birkett had to race on day 3 at 7.24am, but placed a good third. And the ME men’s 8 went close to victory finishing second a length behind a multi-composite Czech crew.

But just over an hour later, crew members Stewart-Woods, Colin Lewis, Hooton, Earnshaw and cox Liz Lewis were leading the pack again, winning their MF coxed four race by a length from British rivals Upper Thames.

The ME four were third to Irish and Finnish boats, while Scott Hazledine and Melanie Brown were second to a Norwegian mixed MF double, the mixed MF 8 chased home an international crew from nine clubs, and the mixed E quad were third.

But Stewart-Woods just missed by 1/2L on another medal in the mixed MF quads in an international commposite.