Kat Copeland won her first race since claiming gold at London 2012 as Great Britain enjoyed a promising opening day at the European Rowing Championships in Belgrade.
Not only was Copeland competing for the first time since her Olympic heroics, but her lightweight women’s double heat was also her first race with Imogen Walsh.
However, it was as if she had never been away as the came through strongly in the second half to take the win comfortably and progress through to the semi-finals.
The men's four of Andrew Triggs Hodge, Moe Sbihi, Geroge Nash and Alex Gregory also created a buzz as they set a new European best time of 6:49.08 minutes in their heat.
In total eight from 16 GB Rowing Team crews won their heats in the morning's session, three moving directly to finals.
These were the women’s pair of Helen Glover and Polly Swann, the women’s eight and lightweight men’s four, while the others progressed to semi-finals.
The women's double and women's quadruple scull crews are also through to Sunday's finals courtesy of second-place finishes. The men's pair were third in a tough heat but because of the entry numbers still move into the semis.
That left the men's eight, double and quad and the lightweight men's double all facing repechages.
In the afternoon session both the men's double of Jonny Walton and John Collins as well as the lightweight men's double of Jamie Kirkwood and Will Fletcher moved safely through to their respective semis, while the men's eight and quad race on day two.
© Sportsbeat 2014