Katherine Copeland
Katherine Copeland MBE (born 1 December 1990) is a retired British rower and Olympic gold medallist. She was born in Ashington, England, to Derek and Penny Copeland, and started rowing at age 14 at Yarm School. She rows for Tees Rowing Club in Stockton-on-Tees and is a member of Leander Club.
Her first major success came when she won the U23 World Championship in the women's lightweight single sculls in 2012. That same year, she won Olympic gold in London in the women's lightweight double sculls with Sophie Hosking, a moment highlighted during the Games’ “Super Saturday.” A gold post box in Ingleby Barwick commemorates her victory.
After Hosking retired in 2012, Copeland teamed up with Imogen Walsh and won bronze at the European Championships in 2014. She then rowed with Charlotte Taylor, earning silver at the 2015 World Rowing Championships and gold at the 2015 European Rowing Championships. Copeland and Taylor finished 14th at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2017 she won bronze at the European Championships with Emily Craig. She announced her retirement from competitive rowing in January 2019.
Off the water, Copeland has been recognised for her services to rowing with an MBE in 2013 and received an Honorary Degree from Teesside University in 2017. She also runs an after-school art club for autistic children with the Three Wings Trust.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:14 (CET).