Who is James Cracknell? Olympic rower’s career, infamous cycling accident and Brexit politics

Olympic gold medallist and rowing great James Cracknell will run as the Conservative candidate at the next general election in Colchester.

The constituency's sitting Tory MP Will Quince is standing down to spend more time with his young family and the rower was heralded as the 'clear choice' of members to take the seat, which Quince won with a 9,000 majority over Labour at the 2019 general election.

Paul Dundas, Conservative group leader at Colchester City Council, said: "I think he will be a fantastic candidate and a great MP for Colchester. He will win because he is a guy who doesn't do losing."

Cracknell is a familiar face not only from his athletic exploits but his work as a sports pundit and commentator, as well as appearances on Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity: SAS Who Dares Wins.

James Cracknell at the Olympics

James Cracknell is one of Team GB's most successful rowers having won two Olympic gold medals, six World Rowing Championship gold medals and The Boat Race in 2019.

The new politican began rowing at Kingston Grammar School and his first Olympics triumph came at Sydney 2000. Cracknell was part of the famous coxless four alongside Sir Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinsent and Tim Foster. The rower struck gold in that category again four years later at Athens 2004 alongside Sir Steve, Steve Williams and Ed Coode.

After Olympic success, Cracknell made a career for himself by completing physical feats and making documentaries. He has taken part in the Atlantic Rowing Race, the Amundsen Omega3 South Pole Race, attempted to break the non-stop Land's End to John O'Groats mixed tandem world record and completed the gruelling Marathon des Sables.

Infamous near-death cycling crash and major brain injury

James Cracknell was involved in a high-profile cycling crash while attempting to cycle, row, run and swim from Los Angeles to New York within 18 days.

The Olympian was hit from behind by a petrol tanker while cycling at around 5:30 am in Arizona. Cracknell has attributed his survival in the serious accident to wearing a cycle helmet and is now an advocate of safe cycling.

The rower sustained an injury to the frontal lobes of his brain and was put into a medically induced coma for 10 days. The crash and injury left Cracknell with a changed personality and epilepsy, which he explained in detail in his 2012 book Touching Distance.

Speaking to Mirror.co.uk back in 2015, James said: “My kids had one dad for six years and another for the last five; it was very difficult for them to come to terms with.

“The accident is something that happened to me, but I’m not going to let it define me - in the same way, the Olympics is something I did but that’s not all I am. The biggest challenge was knowing that 80 per cent of all people with brain injuries end up getting divorced.”

Cracknell and wife Beverley Turner eventually split in 2019, nine years after the accident, which the athlete attributed as part of the divorce.

Conservative controversy over James Cracknell anti-Brexit views

James Cracknell's appointment has already made waves in the political world due to thoughts around Brexit previously shared by the Olympian.

The potential Tory MP slammed Brexit earlier this year and made it clear that the deal was something he did not stand for. He told the Telegraph: “The best thing about Britain is its place in the world and actually its view as a big country looking outward.

“And I thought the worst thing about Brexit was it made us look inward and be a little Britain. And that is not what the Conservative Party stands for. It is not what I stand for.”

Responding, Reform UK leader Richard Tice told Express.co.uk: “Tory HQ selecting Remoaners shows they do not care about Brexit and are happy to betray Brexit. Only Reform UK will do Brexit properly.”