Bronze for postgraduate student at the Paralympic Games

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Posted:

02 Sep 2024

Jan Helmich won a bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Sunday in the PR3 mixed double sculls. Racing for Team Germany, Jan and crewmate Hermine Krumbein secured bronze with a time of 7:28.31.

Friends from Trinity Hall travelled to Paris to watch Jan compete, supporting from the stands in both the heat and the final, leaving them all “quite hoarse” by the end of the hard-fought final race. The silver medal went to Team GB, with just 0.12 seconds between second and third place.

Jan arrived in Cambridge as a novice rower and undergraduate student in 2016. Eight years later, he competes at the highest level all over the world while studying for a PhD with Cambridge’s Department of Engineering.

Paul Townshend, Trinity Hall Rowing Coach said:

“Trinity Hall Boat Club (THBC) is enormously proud of Jan and all that he has achieved, culminating in a wonderful bronze medal at the Paris Paralympic Games. The fact that Jan has accomplished all that he has having arrived in Cambridge with no rowing experience at all is testament to his work ethic, resilience and athletic ability. I hope that his journey will help inspire the next generation of Trinity Hall rowers. Congratulations Jan on a superb achievement from all of us at THBC.”

Mary Hockaday, Master of Trinity Hall, said:

“Many congratulations to Jan. Trinity Hall is very proud of him. He trained hard and it’s great to see him and Hermine reap this reward.”

Before the races, we spoke to Jan about his journey from Trinity Hall to the world stage, and his excitement for the upcoming Games.

Read Jan’s pre-race interview