David Jennens

David Jennens
Personal information
Born(1929-04-08)8 April 1929
Solihull, United Kingdom
Died27 September 2000(2000-09-27) (aged 71)
Cambridge, United Kingdom
EducationOundle School
Alma materClare College, Cambridge
OccupationMedical doctor
Weight12 st 7 lb (79.4 kg) (in 1951)
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Great Britain
European Rowing Championships
Gold medal – first place 1951 Mâcon Eight
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David Michael Jennens (8 April 1929 – 27 September 2000) was an English rower who competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics; he was also a medical doctor.

Jennens was born in Solihull, United Kingdom. He attended Oundle School and in 1947 went up to Clare College, Cambridge. He stroked the Clare coxless four that won the Cambridge University event twice, and in 1949 won the Visitors' Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.[1][2]

In eights racing, Jennens stroked the Clare crew that rowed Head of the River in the 1949 May Bumps.[1][3] He earned his Blue when he stroked Cambridge to a win by a quarter of a length against Oxford in the 1949 Boat Race. He rowed in the number two seat of the 1950 winning Cambridge crew, and then returned to the stroke seat for the Cambridge victory of 1951. The umpire had ordered a re-row of the 1951 race after Oxford sank in treacherous conditions.[1][4][5]

Also in 1951, Jennens was the stroke of the British eight that won the European Rowing Championships in Mâcon, France. In 1952, he stroked the Leander Club eight that won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley. This crew went on to row as Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, finishing fourth.[1][2][6]

Jennens qualified as a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital in London. He worked for a while in Canada, before returning to general practice in Cambridge. He was a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta, and he coached many rowing crews from Cambridge University, Clare Boat Club, and Cambridge town clubs.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Online Obituary". The Times. 17 October 2000. Retrieved 10 April 2011.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b "Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races 1946–2003". Friends of Rowing History. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  3. ^ "Club History". Clare Boat Club. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  4. ^ "1951 Race Report". The Boat Race. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Weather plays a part". The Boat Race. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  6. ^ "David Jennens Biography and Olympic Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2011.