Vwaire - Obukohwo
rowing
What was your sport and how did you get into it?
My sport is rowing, I started in 2018 at sixth form as an after school hobby. After attending an indoor rowing competition, I was scouted by a development programme. I quickly fell in love with the sport and started taking it more seriously, training full-time as a high-performance athlete.
Tell us about the highlights of your sporting career?
In 2021, I won my first ever race at Henley Women’s Regatta, it was also the first time anyone from my club had won a Henley event in over 100 years so it was a very special moment for me. In 2022, I represented Great Britain for the first time at the Under 23 World Championships where I got bronze medal in the women’s double. It was so exhilarating to see all the hard work pay off and have my family and friends watching such a happy moment of my life.
What were some of the challenges you experienced and how did you overcome them?
The traditional rowing community is far from diverse. Coming into the sport as a minority often made me feel like I didn’t belong and I didn’t stand a chance achieving my dreams. Through my hard work and determination I have been able to disprove this self-doubt and actually use my differences to my advantage through making the rowing community more inviting and being the representation that was much needed.
What have been your highlights while working at the Trust?
Delivering the AQA Unlocking Potential programme has been very rewarding. I love seeing how the young people come out of their shell and gradually gain confidence in themselves. Their innovation and creativity is what the world needs, so seeing that they are more willing to share as the sessions go on is truly inspiring.
What do you do now alongside working for the Trust?
I am currently finishing off my BSc in Economics at Royal Holloway University of London. I also have a podcast where I discuss the ebbs and flows of young adulthood whilst trying to achieve my goals of becoming an Olympic Champion. By having this candid verbal journal, I hope to increase the representation for young black women in sport as well as be there for everyone that is going through the day-to-day hardships of life.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given and why?
The best advice I’ve ever been told is that what’s meant for you will never pass you by. To me, this means that if something doesn’t go your way, for example if you have a bad race, get ill or injured, that doesn’t mean that all your hard work has been for nothing, your moment just hasn’t come yet.
What does Being Me mean to you?
Being me means that I am unapologetically myself in every facet of life. Growing up, I often battled with my identity as a black woman and felt like I was never enough for any setting I entered. Now that I live everyday proud to be myself, I see how I am more than enough and how my value is not dictated by other people’s opinions about me. I am confident in what I have to offer and hope that everyone can live in their truth with the same confidence.
Competitive
Record
2022
U23 World Championships - 3rd
U23 European Championships - 3rd
Represented GB at Holland Beker Regatta 2022 - 1st
Henley Womens Regatta - 1st
2021
Henley Womens Regatta - 1st
Henley Royal Regatta Finalist
2019
Represented GB at World Urban Games Indoor rowing - 3rd
