Rower Elliott Donovan-Davies has moved a step closer to sporting stardom after selection for a prestigious sporting programme which helped propel Sir Steve Redgrave to legendary status.

One of Britain’s brightest rowing prospects, Donovan-Davies comes from an impressive sporting background, with dad James playing club rugby in Wales and mum Dawn representing their homeland at two Commonwealth Games and looks set to follow in their footsteps after being singled out by charity SportsAid as an athlete with the potential to reach the very top.

In 2023, Donovan-Davies was part of the Great Britain team that won silver at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in the Quad, an unforgettable experience for the teenager, with the ultimate dream of representing Team GB at an Olympic Games.  

And after an unforgettable experience at Henley Royal Regatta prior to enrolling in Stanford, Donovan-Davies revealed just how much it meant to represent his country at such a high level.  

The Hartpury rower said: “It’s such a different experience rowing for Great Britain. It’s an amazing feeling wearing that flag on your chest and racing for your country. It was a cool experience learning so much and it was an honour to wear the flag on my chest.  

“I came through last season at the start of Hartpury not knowing how to row. I was pretty far in the pack and not very good technically but thanks to all the coaches and their belief in me, I kept improving exponentially.”

Donovan-Davies is one of 50 athletes supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Pitching In, a multimillion-pound grassroots sport programme established by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral.

SportsAid athletes like Donovan-Davies are Great Britain's brightest sporting prospects. They are nominated to SportsAid by the national governing bodies of more than 60 sports based on set criteria from each. The typical value of a SportsAid award is £1,000 with money generated through a combination of commercial partnerships, trust and charitable funds, and fundraising activities.

“SportsAid have helped me so much going through the season, just being able to go on and sail,” he said.

“One of the biggest things this year was going on camp with Hartpury and being able to train in Belgium.

“We went to a camp out there and got really good training technically and physically and that helped improve my rowing quite a bit. They also helped me go through the trialling process through the year.

“I’ve been doing the U23 trials quite a bit and performing well at them and they’ve helped me go to them and be able to support myself which also just helped me perform in the long run.

“Without them I wouldn’t be able to sufficiently fuel myself as well. They’ve really been helping me out with nutrition and understanding what’s good for me and what isn’t and that’s helped me improve my performance and understand my body to a new level this season.

Donovan-Davies also hailed his parents for their support, insisting that his achievements would not have been possible without them by his side.

“My whole family’s always been sporting,” he said. There wasn’t pressure to play sport but I was so inspired by them that I looked up to them from a young age and I wanted to be like them and do the things they’ve done in their sporting career.  

“All my family and upbringing were based around sports. I did boxing, gymnastics, dance, breakdancing, rugby, cricket, swimming, any sport you name I’ve probably given it a go.  

“Thanks to my parents’ support and them just giving me opportunities as a child, that helped me in my development in terms of deciding what route I wanted to go down. My parents are with me every step of the way and I can’t thank them enough for that.”

Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.