Olympic silver medalist Jack Beaumont has detailed a frightening encounter on the River Thames where a motorboat captain allegedly threatened him and nearly rammed his scull. The incident occurred on a Sunday morning near the Maidenhead Rowing Club.
Beaumont, 32, who won silver in the men's quadruple sculls at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, stated he was concerned the motorboat operator was going to ram his 18-foot vessel. He described the skipper's behavior as "erratic" and "volatile."
Thames Valley Police have since bailed a 67-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage, threats to kill, common assault, and using a watercraft in a manner that endangered a structure or individual. The man has not been publicly named.
According to Beaumont, he was on the river shortly after 7 a.m. when he observed the motorboat heading towards a smaller scull with another club member inside. When Beaumont called out to the motorboat owner, the individual reportedly turned his craft and began steering towards Beaumont.
"I was afraid because there's not really anywhere to go on the river," Beaumont told The Times, as reported by the Daily Mail. "I was worried he was going to really ram into me or something."
Footage of the incident obtained by the Daily Mail appears to show the motorboat's skipper shouting at Beaumont. In the clip, the motorboat owner can be heard saying, "shut the f*** up" and "I did nothing wrong. You f***ers think you own the water."
Beaumont stated he was trying to de-escalate the situation and lure the motorboat away from the other rowers. He recounted that the motorboat driver then reversed quickly towards him, forcing Beaumont to maneuver out of the way. The motorboat then reportedly turned and headed directly at Beaumont, who had to accelerate to escape.
"He then reversed his boat super quick towards me, so I had to manoeuvre out of the way," Beaumont said. "He turned the boat around and just came straight at me, so I had to sprint to get away."
A police spokeswoman confirmed that during the incident, the boat allegedly made contact with a rowing boat and its occupant. The individual then reportedly verbally abused a second rower, who attempted to move away from the approaching boat.
Maidenhead Rowing Club, which is 150 years old, issued a statement calling the abuse Beaumont received "entirely unacceptable" and asserting that the club "will not tolerate any act that puts our members, or any other user of the river, at risk."
Detectives are appealing for witnesses to come forward with any relevant footage.