As reigning Olympic and World champion, Helen Glover accepts she will be one of the favourites heading into Rio but insists she is in a great position to defend her title from four years ago.
The final squad for this summer’s Olympic Games will not be announced until June but the boats selected for this weekend's European Championships are those expected to line-up in Brazil, barring injuries or a drastic loss in form.
Glover will once again be alongside Heather Stanning in the women’s pair in Brandenburg, Germany, as the duo look to continue their unbeaten run on the international stage – a record which goes back to 2011.
Glover said: “This is the first tick in the box and I do feel a step closer to Rio. Even though it is only the European Championships squad selection, it gives you the long-term perspective because it is likely to be what the team looks like in Rio.
“The overriding feeling now is one of readiness. I feel this is where we are supposed to be and I am ready for the Olympics to get closer, ready to start racing and see what our competition is like.
“For us in our sport, the Olympics is by a long way is the pinnacle of our sport so to be selected for the team means that you are in the best team you can be in with GB Rowing.
“And to compete in the Olympics is a childhood dream. To know you are competing against the best of the world on what they hope will be their best day is really exciting.”
Glover’s story is a remarkable one as the Penzance native only took up rowing in 2008 after being spotted by the GB Rowing Team Start identification programme. Four years later she had conquered the world in front of a home crowd.
Her women’s pair partner Stanning took time out from the sport after London 2012 to fulfil military commitments but the duo quickly picked up where they left off upon her return in 2014.
But simply winning at the European Championships is not enough for Glover as the 29-year-old looks to do it in style.
The two-time European champion said: “For me and Heather it is our first stepping stone of the 2016 season so we want to try a few different racing tactics and get used to racing against different people, different kits and different languages. You need to get used to that again.
“Heather and I have the European and World record and are European champions so doing it again and in style is important to us.
“There are high expectations for the Olympics because we have worked tirelessly for four years but at the same time we are not getting ahead of ourselves.
“We take it a step at a time and let our expectations be determined by what happens. So at the moment the expectations are high and we when you start racing again against other people then you let the expectations change and develop and grow according to how it is going.”
By Frank Smith Sportsbeat 2016