A CHESTER rower has powered his way to a world title.
Chris Bartley from Farndon, partnered Richard Chambers to win gold in the lightweight pairs at the Under 23 World Championships in Hazewinkel, Belgium, on Sunday.
Everything went to plan for the British duo, who led at every marker and managed to hold off Italy's final charge with determination.
Chris, 22, said: 'It feels brilliant to be a world champion.
'Our training was based around leading from the front and everything worked perfectly for us.
''We've been training for a long, long time for this. We've been in the boat together for three months, training two or three times a day, but it's all been worth it.'
Chris was a member of the GB quad that won silver at the World Championships last year - but he went one better this time, adding the gold medal to the World Cup title he won with Richard in Poznan last month.
Watching him in Belgium were his proud parents, Geoff and Sue.
'They were both really chuffed for me,' said Chris. 'And it meant a lot for me to know they were there.'
Chris started rowing eight years ago when he was a pupil at The King's School.
He left the family home in Farndon in 2002 to study at Nottingham University and gained a BSc in Biology before working towards a Masters degree in biological photography.
Next month is a big one for Chris and Richard.
Their victory on Sunday sealed them a spot in the Great Britain team for the World Championships at Eaton in August.
