Imogen Grant Welcomed as Junior Doctor

Imogen Grant, the 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist, received a warm welcome at Wexham Park Hospital this morning, where her new colleagues had arranged a guard of honour. Just three days after winning gold in the lightweight double sculls at the Paris Olympics, Grant expressed her excitement about starting her career with the NHS in Slough. "It feels like I'm about to jump off the deep end into something new, but also something I've wanted to do for so many years," she told ITV News. Grant, who won the gold medal alongside partner Emily Craig on August 2, is eager to balance her new role in healthcare with her athletic career. The duo's recent victory adds to their impressive record, which includes back-to-back world championship and European championship titles from 2022 to 2023. Grant's journey in rowing began during her first year at Trinity College, Cambridge, where she studied medicine and discovered the sport during Freshers Week. Despite the excitement of her Olympic triumph, Grant faces a new challenge as weight classes will be eliminated from the Olympic rowing program after the Paris Games. This change means she and Craig will need to adapt and find a new event for the next Olympiad, with hopes of competing at Los Angeles 2028. "We will need to change disciplines, and this has been such an incredible experience," she noted. Since returning to the UK, Grant and her fellow Team GB athletes have been adjusting to life post-Olympics, with many balancing their sporting careers with regular jobs. With 327 athletes representing Great Britain in Paris, the diversity of their backgrounds and professions highlights the unique blend of sport and everyday life.