Leah Saunders

Leah Saunders (born 7 February 1993) is an Australian former representative rower, a medallist at the 2018 and 2019 World Rowing Championships.

Club and state rowing Saunders was raised in northern New South Wales and first rowed from the Lower Clarence Rowing Club before coming to Sydney in 2011 and taking up at the Sydney Rowing Club.

She was first selected to represent New South Wales in the women's youth eight which contested and won the Bicentennial Cup in the Interstate Regatta at the 2012 Australian Rowing Championships. In 2013 she rowed again in a victorious New South Wales youth eight. For five consecutive years from 2014 to 2019 she rowed in New South Welsh senior women's eights contesting the Queen's Cup at the Australian Interstate Regatta. In 2019 that New South Wales Women's eight broke the 14 year Victorian stronghold and took a Queen's Cup victory.

International representative rowing Saunders made her Australian representative debut in 2011 at the World Junior Rowing Championships at Eton Dorney. She raced in the quad scull which finished in overall tenth place.

The women's eight with Saunders at bow started their 2018 international campaign with a bronze medal win at the World Rowing Cup II in Linz, Austria. The eight were looking for a top five finish at the 2019 World Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. They placed second in their heat, came through the repechage and led in the final from the start and at all three 500m marks till they were overrun by New Zealand by 2.7secs. The Australian eight took the silver medal and qualified for Tokyo 2020.