Dame Katherine Jane Grainger was born on 12 November 1975 and is a British former rower and current Chair of UK Sport.
20 Facts About Katherine Grainger
2.
Katherine Grainger is a 2012 Summer Olympics gold medallist, four-time Olympic silver medallist and six-time World Champion.
3.
Katherine Grainger served as Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University between 2015 and 2020, and is currently Chancellor of the University of Glasgow.
4.
At the London Olympics 2012, Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger broke the Olympic record as they qualified for the double sculls final, before winning the gold medal.
5.
Katherine Grainger won a silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games 2016 with Victoria Thornley, after a two-year break from the sport.
6.
Katherine Grainger has won eight medals at the World Championship between 1997 and 2011.
7.
Katherine Grainger holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh, a Master of Philosophy in Medical Law and Medical Ethics from the University of Glasgow, and a Doctor of Philosophy in law from King's College London.
8.
Katherine Grainger first won silver at Sydney in 2000 in the woman's quadruple sculls with Guin Batten, Gillian Lindsay and Miriam Batten losing to a German team.
9.
Katherine Grainger returned to the quadruple sculls in Beijing 2008, when she won her third silver with Annabel Vernon, Debbie Flood and Frances Houghton, narrowly losing to China after taking the lead for some of the race.
10.
In 2009, having switched to the single scull after the Beijing Olympics, Katherine Grainger claimed a surprise silver at the World Championships in Poland.
11.
In 2010, Katherine Grainger teamed up with Anna Watkins in the double sculls and they embarked on an unbeaten season, culminating in victory in November in the World Championships in Lake Karapiro, New Zealand, and then defending the title in an injury disrupted season in 2011 in Bled, Slovenia.
12.
Katherine Grainger has won the Rowing World Cup in the quadruple sculls in 2005,2006,2007 and 2010 and the double sculls in 2010,2011 and 2012.
13.
Katherine Grainger was reappointed for a second term on 1 July 2021.
14.
In March 2015, Katherine Grainger was appointed the fourth chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, at a ceremony joined by her three predecessors, Shami Chakrabarti CBE, Jon Snow and Baroness Helena Kennedy QC.
15.
Katherine Grainger is a board member for the Youth Sport Trust, the British Olympic Association's Athlete Commission and is a Patron for Netball Scotland, Winning Scotland, the NCI and Aberlour children's charity.
16.
Katherine Grainger was previously a board member of International Inspiration, a charity that promoted access to sport, play, and physical exercise for low and middle income families with children around the world.
17.
Katherine Grainger was elected as honorary president of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association in November 2005, and a steward of Henley Royal Regatta in 2008, only the third rower to be elected while still competing.
18.
Katherine Grainger was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2006 Birthday Honours, Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to rowing, and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity.
19.
In June 2017, Katherine Grainger was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Aberdeen.
20.
Katherine Grainger is the first woman to hold the office at Glasgow University, founded in 1451.