Welsh Para-rower Ben Pritchard has successfully defended his European title in Varese, Italy, and now hopes to carry that momentum into the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam later this month. The 34-year-old from Mumbles, Swansea, overcame a freak injury sustained just before competition to beat Italian rival Giacomo Perini in the PR1 men's single sculls at the European Rowing Championships.
Pritchard explained that the injury occurred through a piece of faulty equipment rather than anything related to the race itself.
"When I landed in Italy, there was a malfunction on the hoist that got me on to the coach and the cable snapped, so it dropped me from the top of the hoist to the bottom, which obviously causes a bit of an injury, which I was managing throughout the championships," Pritchard told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
Despite the setback, Pritchard managed to hold off Perini in a tightly fought contest, and admitted afterwards that he had feared the injury might cost him the title.
"I actually thought I may not have come out on top given the injury that I was coping with, but I'm glad I did. It was a great race though."
"It's probably one of the best races we've had in in a couple of years because it was neck and neck until the last 250m."
How fast did he win the race?
Pritchard crossed the line in a time of 9:07.88 to claim the PR1 men's single sculls title in Varese, according to a report from Welsh news outlet Nation.Cymru. That mark sits some way outside his own world best of 8:40.38, which he set at the 2025 World Championships in Shanghai after having already broken the record earlier in the same competition with a time of 8:47.88, according to a report on the swimmer. World Rowing's own athlete records list his 2025 World Championships results as 8:51.26 in the heat and 9:03.84 in the final, according to World Rowing's athlete profile page.
What is his standing in the sport?
Pritchard is currently regarded as one of the leading figures in Para-rowing, having won Paralympic gold at the 2024 Games before going on to claim both the 2025 world and European titles. He is now described by Welsh media as holding the Paralympic, world and European titles all at once, according to Nation.Cymru. His achievements were further recognised earlier this year when he was named the 2025 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year by the sport's global governing body, according to World Rowing.
He was also named BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year for 2025, a reflection of the impact his run of titles has had on the wider Welsh sporting public.
What is behind his recent success?
Pritchard revealed that he raced in Varese carrying extra emotional weight after his Swansea-based coach, Andrew Williams, suffered the loss of his father.
"It was a big one and an emotional one, but gave you the actual motivation when the going got tough in the race, that's for sure."
He also spoke about his familiarity with the Italian venue, despite racing on Perini's home waters, pointing to years of training visits with his team.
"I think it's more my home water than his."
"You know, we're in his home country, but as a team, we come here twice a year to train and spend two weeks of time here, so I've been coming here now for nine years."
"It feels like a home to me, and the club members know me and all that kind of stuff, so I feel that actually I had a good share of the support in the stands."
How is he preparing for the World Championships?
Pritchard and his Great Britain team-mates remained in Varese following the European Championships to complete a training block designed to build race speed ahead of the World Rowing Championships, which run from 24 to 30 August at Amsterdam's Bosbaan venue.
"I always feel that this this camp is where we get the most speed."
"We do a load of speed work in this last block now for the world championships, so I'm hoping that that'll set me in good stead for the future."
He also referenced his Australian rival Erik Horrie, whom he watched training recently, while acknowledging the unpredictability of outdoor competition.
"I have just seen my competitor Erik Horrie from Australia training this morning, and he looks really fast as well. So hopefully we can get a good race but it's an outdoor sport - anything could happen."
"But it's going to be nice to be out on the Bosbaan in Amsterdam because the Welsh men's hockey team and ladies' team have got their World champs as well, so I'm going to hopefully get across and watch some of their games too."
What comes next for Pritchard?
His immediate focus is the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, where he is entered in the PR1 M1x discipline, according to British Rowing's athlete profile. Beyond that, he has stated his ambition to defend his Paralympic title at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, according to Swansea Bay News, with the Amsterdam championships expected to serve as a key step in that longer-term build-up, according to World Rowing.
- Ben Pritchard, 34, from Mumbles, Swansea, retained his PR1 men's single sculls European title in Varese, Italy.
- He raced despite a hoist malfunction injury sustained on arrival, winning in a time of 9:07.88.
- He holds the Paralympic, world and European titles simultaneously and was named 2025 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year.
- He now targets the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, 24-30 August, ahead of a longer-term aim of defending his title at Los Angeles 2028.
