England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were joined for the first time by Jersey in the competition. Beach Sprints have been included in the 2026 Commonwealth Games line-up and involve a beach start with participants running to their boats on the water's edge. They then row out around three buoys, slalom-style, for 250m, then row back to the beach. The participant then gets out of their boat and sprints up the beach to the finish line.

Menna competed in the Junior Mixed Double with Twm Owen. An admirable performance from the pair secured a win against England by four seconds. Wales’s total of two victories (including Menna’s), three second and one third place over the course of the competition secured them first-place position, the third time Wales has won a Home Nations rowing trophy.

On representing Wales and taking part in the Home International Rowing Beach Sprints Menna tells us “It was an honour to represent Wales and be a part of their first ever Home International Regatta overall victory. It was a very nerve-racking morning of racing, however we were able to rely on the training we had done to secure ourselves first place. Being presented with the Welsh kit and, not too long after, a gold medal was an incredible way to end a season which has brought disappointment as well as success. I’ve really enjoyed getting involved in this new format of the sport, and I look forward to gaining more experience in it and competing at more events in the future” .

Menna studied Maths, Chemistry and Physics here at RGS, and alongside her commitment to rowing at the School, she was a Prefect, took part in Duke of Edinburgh, and was a member of the Orchestra, being awarded the Catherine Cowton Prize for Strings on leaving. She has just started studying Pharmacy at the University of Cardiff.  Reflecting on her time at RGS Worcester, Menna says “I am very grateful for all the opportunities RGS has provided me with, particularly involving sport and music. Taking part in the co-curricular activities at school allowed me to grow in confidence and feel prepared to move onto university”. Speaking on her RGS rowing experiences and the foundations laid by rowing at School she shares “The RGS Boat Club has given me  the skills and confidence to continue to push my rowing further and see how far I can take it. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to row at school, as it’s not something I would’ve ever been involved in otherwise! I will always treasure the experiences that I have shared with the friends I have made through RGS rowing.” To current pupils here at RGS who love rowing and are keen to pursue the sport to competitive levels, Menna has some words of advice “Find motivation from your setbacks to push yourself harder. Take every opportunity that you can as you never know where it may lead you, and keep enjoying training, working together with others to achieve your goals”

A huge well done to Menna on this amazing achievement and victory with Team Wales!