Olympic rower posts jaw-dropping picture of wrinkly hands

Olympic Gold medallist Alex Gregory has shared a post showing the harsh conditions on his Arctic challenge

Most of us have marvelled at some point at how our hands have shrivelled after a marathon soak in the bath.

But chances are you’ve never had it quite so bad as two-time Olympic Gold medallist Alex Gregory.

The Briton shared an astonishing photo of his hands after taking part in an expedition to the Arctic with a group of fellow rowers, sending social media into a melt down.

The freezing conditions and strain from rowing turned his hands into ‘the rowing equivalent of trench foot’ as one Twitter user commented.

Others likened the Cheltenham-born 33-year-old’s image to something out of Game of Thrones.

Alex captioned the image on Twitter: ‘My hands after spending so long in wet gloves. The blisters were never bad on this Polar row, but the wet & damp seeped into the skin.’

He revealed how wrinkled his hands have gone after spending so long in wet gloves

Twitter users reacted with humour to the 33-year-old’s post on August 30

Many social media users posted gifs to light-heatedly show their surprise

Challenge abandoned

Alex, who won gold in the coxless fours from the 2012 and 2016 games, began the tough record-breaking challenge a few weeks ago but had to abandon it when conditions proved too perilous.

The crew becoming stranded on a remote Norwegian island part way through what would have been a month-and-a-half long journey rowing the Arctic Ocean.

They are still awaiting rescue and Alex has revealed he took the decision to quit for the sake of his children.

Harsh conditions have forced Cheltenham-born Alex and his crew to abandon their mission

The rowing team are currently stranded on a remote Norwegian island

He said earlier this week: ‘At times I thought I would never see land, my family or anything ever again.

‘It’s an easy decision because I want to get home to my family.

‘My three young children need their dad, they need him to be responsible and to make the right decisions in life.

‘They need him to be brave, adventurous, ambitious and to set them the right example, but they also need him to not take unnecessary risks.’

A Twitter user replied to Alex’s tweet with an image of Gollum from Lord of the Rings

‘Are you 104?’

Twitter users were quick to comment on the post with one asking ‘Are you 104?’ and another saying ‘You could audition for Lord of the Rings’.

Many praised him for his determination and spirit to even attempt the challenge, including TV presenter Ben Fogle, who himself is currently undertaking his own adventure climbing mountains in central South America.

Adventurer and presenter Ben Fogle praised Alex’s determination for taking on the challenge

He wrote: ‘From Bolivia, a massive high five to @AlexGregoryGB and the #polarrow team on a heroic humbling journey.’

People were quick to point out that with the state of Alex’s hands, a high five may not be the best idea.

Another Twitter user echoed the sentiment by saying: ‘Next time I hear someone talking about passion and commitment I certainly will appoint him/her to this picture.’

WHY DO HANDS SHRIVEL LIKE PRUNES IN WATER?

Researchers might have figured out one of the most enduring questions about human anatomy – why we get prune hands when spending too long in the bath.

Wrinkled fingers might be an adaptation in humans to make it easier to handle objects in wet conditions, according to a team at Newcastle University.

And as our distant ancestors searched for food in wet land and streams, the creases evolved, their findings published in Britain’s Royal Society journal Biology Letters in 2013 suggests.

‘Upon continued submersion in water, the glabrous skin on human hands and feet forms wrinkles,’ the study authors wrote.

‘The formation of these wrinkles is known to be an active process, controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

‘Such an active control suggests that these wrinkles may have an important function, but this function has not been clear.’

In their studies, the researchers showed that submerged objects are handled quicker with wrinkled fingers than with unwrinkled fingers, and that wrinkles make no difference when trying to manipulate dry objects.

Alex gained his first GB vest in 2004 at the World Rowing U23 Championships in Poland, finishing 11th in the quad

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk