Annie Vernon

Annie was selected in the women's quadruple scull for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and won a silver medal.

Annie is the reigning World Champion in the women's quad, winning a superb gold at the 2007 World Championships in Munich. In 2007 she medalled at each of the World Cups and won the overall quad title for the series. She raced in the quad in the 2008 World Cup series, finishing 1st and 3rd.

Annie started rowing at Castle Dore Rowing Club in Cornwall when she was 17, inspired by her father who had also rowed. She went to Cambridge University where she rowed in the women's Blue Boat in 2003, but the secret of her progress was in joining GB Rowing's World Class Start Programme in 2002. Based in Cambridge and coached by Adrian Cassidy she learnt to scull and began to show in the GB Rowing U23 testing.

Annie gained her first GB vest in 2004 when she won a bronze medal in the pair at the World U23 Championships in Poznan. She joined the senior national squad in 2005 and finished seventh in the GB Rowing Senior Trials.

After finishing 4th in the double scull at the Eton World Cup in May she substituted for an injured Rebecca Romero in the women's quad at Lucerne, winning a silver medal. At the 2005 World Championships, during which she raced on her birthday, Annie competed in the single scull and finished 9th overall.

The 2006 World Cup Series brought a gold in Munich, 4th place in Poznan and a silver in Lucerne. At the World Championships at Eton, in August 2006, she was 4th in the women's double – all with Anna Bebington.

Annie is Lottery Funded through UK Sport and sponsored by Camelot.