WYE steersman Jack Tottem had his hand on the tiller as the GB women's rowing eight stormed to golden glory at the European Rowing Championships in Bulgaria.

The Old Monmothian, who steered Oxford’s men to Boat Race triumph in 2022, is hoping to compete at the 2028 LA Olympics.

And he started the new Olympiad cycle in style as he called GB through to win in the last 500m, with Paris 2024 champions Romania out of the medals in fourth.

The Devauden Blue's win was one of several recent top successes for Wye rowers, with two-time world junior medallist Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank racing to Varsity silver at the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s championships in America with Seattle-based Washington University, and World U23 gold medallist Robbie Prosser also landing bronze with California Berkeley in the IRA men's college championships.

Tottem's crew, containing two Paris Olympic medallists, went through half-way in the 2km six-boat final in Plovdiv 1/2L down on the Neterlands.

But he urged them back to within a canvas with 500m to race before they stormed through to win by 2/3L in six minutes 2.34 seconds, with Italy in bronze over a length behind the Dutch pushing Romania out of the medals, followed by Germany and Poland.

Crew member Amelia Standing said: "At about 750 to go, Jack told us to go and we went for it.

"We slowly wheeled in the Netherlands and got our bow ahead. We haven’t won gold in this event since 2016, so it’s even more special to bring it back home.”

Tottem posted a gold emoji afterwards saying: "So cool to be a small part of a successful weekend with @gb_rowing_team in Bulgaria. More to come."

And the crew are back in action this weekend at the World Cup Regatta in Varese, Italy, where they could also face rowing powerhouses the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic former Monmouth Comprehensive student Violet Holbrow-Brooksbank raced to an impressive silver in the top coxed fours event at the US women's college championships at Mercer Lake in New Jersey.

Rowing with two Americans, a Kiwi and a Canadian, Washington narrowly led through the half-way mark before Stanford squeezed by to lead by five-hundredths of a second at 1500m.

And Violet's Huskies came home just under a length back in second with Texas third.

Washington's two-time Olympian coach Yasmin Farooq said: "The Varsity four race was truly inspirational. Their theme this year was 'Be Bold' and it was awesome to see them assert themselves right out of the blocks, lead for 1,500m and come away with silver."

Old Monmothian Robbie Prosser also medalled for Cal Berkeley at the men's Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships on the Cooper River, New Jersey.

Having won bronze in the top Varsity 8s with them last year, Prosser had to settle for a place in the Varsity 2nd crew this time.

And while the hot favourite first boat, packed with internationals, crashed out crabbing 200m from the line in their semi-final, Prosser helped Cal to bronze in the 2nd 8s final a length and 1/2L behind Washington and Harvard in a quick 5.27.30.

Fresh from placing fourth in the girls' U19 quad scull and ninth in the girls' singles at the Munich International Junior Regatta in her first GB appearance, former Monmouth Comprehensive rower Eleanor Lawrence-Preston followed up with girls' championship quad sculls silver with Wycliffe at the National Schools' Regatta in Nottingham.

Her crew came home 2L behind winners Tideway Scullers, with Marlow a further length behind in bronze.

Monmouth RC graduate George Coates also took silver with Hartpury in the boy's U18 quads at the national Junior Sculling Regatta on the London 2012 Olympic lake, finishing just 1/3L behind Lea and nearly a length up on Grange School.

The town club's Sebastian Lee also took bronze racing for Henley RC in the boys' U15 quads, following U15 doubles bronze with Thames Upriver in the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta at Nottingham.