A WELLINGTON School student has added to his already glittering collection of rowing gold medals, overcoming great adversity to do so.
Year 9 pupil Ed Fuller had a triumphant day at the British Indoor Rowing Championships in London, winning a gold medal for the 500m sprint in 1:32.6.
He also achieved a bronze medal in the four-minute race by rowing 1,156 metres in the time allowed.
What makes his achievements all the more commendable is the fact that he also bravely battles a medical condition that would make many settle for an easier life.
IN ACTION: Ed Fuller competes in indoor and outdoor events.
Fuller has severe haemophilia, a condition which means that the blood cannot clot properly.
Although bleeding can be from cuts or grazes on the skin, most bleeding that occurs is internal, into muscles and joints, and so is not visible to the untrained eye.
To overcome this risk of bleeding, his mother Helen injects him intravenously at home four times a week with a clotting factor, which then allows him to undertake most mainstream activities.
Fuller has been rowing for two-and-a-half years and trains at Exeter Rowing Club, where he attends four sessions a week – both indoor and out on the water.
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