Grainger, Purchase, Winckless & Vernon make GB Olympic team

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Katherine Grainger, Zac Purchase, Sarah Winckless and Annie Vernon have been selected in the GB Rowing squad for the Beijing Olympics.

Marlow rower Grainger is joined by club mate Vernon in the women's quadruple scull alongside Frances Houghton and Debbie Flood - a crew which has won the last three World Championships.

Grainger, 32, said: "Olympic gold is the only one missing from the set."

Athens bronze medallist Winkless is the oldest rower in the squad at the age of 34.

Men's lightweight double sculler Purchase and partner Mark Hunter are the only British crew to scoop three wins out of three in the World Cup regattas this year.

"Beijing is going to be an amazing event," said Purchase. "A real eye opener about world sport.

"Being my first Olympics, I have to make sure that I don't get too distracted by all the new sights and sounds.

"I'm looking forward to it immensely. I'm sure there will be a lot of pressure to perform, but that is just going to make it more exciting."

The 43 rowers and 12 boats named in the British team for Beijing make it the largest contingent Britain has sent to a Games since Barcelona 1992.

Men's crews:
Four: Tom James, Steve Williams, Peter Reed, Andy Triggs Hodge
Eight: Alex Partridge, Tom Stallard, Tom Lucy, Richard Egington, Josh West, Alastair Heathcote, Matt Langridge, Colin Smith, Acer Nethercott (cox)
Pair: To be selected at a later date
Single scull: Alan Campbell
Double scull: Matt Wells, Stephen Rowbotham
Lightweight double scull: Zac Purchase, Mark Hunter
Lightweight four: Richard Chambers, James Lindsay-Fynn, Paul Mattick, James Clarke

Women's crews:
Eight and alternate plus cox to be selected from: Carla Ashford, Jess Eddie, Alice Freeman, Katie Greves, Natasha Howard, Alison Knowles, Natasha Page, Beth Rodford, Sarah Winckless, Caroline O'Connor (cox)
Pair: Louisa Reeve, Olivia Whitlam
Quad scull: Annie Vernon, Debbie Flood, Frances Houghton, Katherine Grainger
Double scull: Elise Laverick, Anna Bebington
Lightweight double scull: Helen Casey, Hester Goodsell