Having taken time away from rowing to complete her medical studies at the University of Edinburgh, Swann has returned to international competition after being selected in the W4- for the Poznan World Cup in June 2019.

She competed in the 4- event at the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim, Austria, winning the “B” final and qualifying for the 2020 Olympics.

She won a silver medal in the women’s eight at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

On 19 April 2014 Swann was teamed with Jessica Eddie for the women’s pair at the British rowing trials at Caversham, where they finished 1.14 seconds behind Helen Glover and Heather Stanning. In May, Swann was selected to partner Helen Glover in the women’s coxless pair at the European Rowing Championships at Ada Ciganlija, Belgrade on 30 May. In the heat they set a new European best time of 7 minutes 9 seconds, and in the final on 1 June they lowered it to 7 minutes 3.62 seconds, finishing 5 seconds ahead of the reigning European champion Cristina Grigoras and Laura Oprea of Romania.

In July 2013, at the Henley Royal Regatta she teamed up with Victoria Meyer-Laker, Frances Houghton and Helen Glover to win the Princess Grace Challenge Cup for women’s quadruple scull. Competing as Leander Club and Minerva Bath Rowing Club they completed the final course in 6 minutes 59 seconds.

On 31 August, teamed with Helen Glover in the women’s coxless pair, she became the world champion at the 2013 World Rowing Championships at Chungju in the Republic of Korea. They completed the final in 7 mins 22.82 secs, finishing ahead of Roxana Cogianu and Nicoleta Albu of Romania, and having overhauled the American boat which had led briefly in the early stages.

In December 2013 Glover and Swann were voted as ‘Team of the Year’ by the SportsSister organisation, additionally Glover won the ‘Readers Choice’ vote. Glover and Swann also received the Chairman’s award from the Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA).

Swann was a member of the women’s eight at the 2011 European Rowing Championships at Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where they finished fourth.

Polly Swann is the elder of two children born to Sally and David Swann, a doctor. She was born in Lancaster, England, but when she was three weeks old the family moved to Edinburgh, Scotland where she was raised and educated. She attended George Heriot’s School where, at the age of 14, she started rowing on the Union Canal. She went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh until taking a sabbatical in 2010 to concentrate on rowing. As of 2013 she is also studying for a degree in global health policy at the University of London.

In 2010, she rowed in the quadruple sculls at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Brest, Belarus and finished fourth. This success gave her the impetus to take a sabbatical from her University Medical Degree course, to move to Henley and concentrate full-time on rowing.

Polly Swann (born 5 June 1988) is a British rower and a member of the Great Britain Rowing Team. She is a former World and European champion in the women’s coxless pairs, having won the 2013 World Rowing Championships at Chungju in Korea, and the 2014 European Rowing Championships at Belgrade, Serbia with her partner Helen Glover.