Vernon's gold Standard

Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent have cast a glorious shadow across many an Olympic summer.

But surprisingly for all of their success, Britain has never won an Olympic gold medal in a women’s rowing event.

However, Marlow rower Annie Vernon is intent on making history and believes the tide is surely set to change for Great Britain’s rowing females.

The self assured 25-year-old has been training hard in the gym for her first Olympics in China next month.

Last year she joined a vastly experienced team in the women’s quadruple sculls who are gunning for gold in Beijing.

“I’m excited about my first Olympics but will be disappointed if we only get a silver medal,” she said.

“I believe that I am capable of winning the Olympics, and to be racing for gold is exhilarating.

“This will be the pinnacle of my sporting career. It is the biggest sporting stage of them all.”

The quad team includes double Olympic silver medalist Katherine Grainger, and Olympic silver medallists Frances Houghton and Rebecca Romero.

They recently returned from a training boot camp in Germany and are currently fine tuning their race tactics for Beijing.

The Cornish born athlete is a product of rowing talent development scheme and has been out on the water from an early age.

She was promoted to the team in 2007 and immediately struck gold at the World Championships in Munich.

Annie, one of the younger members of the GB squad, is confident the injury free team can replicate their World Championship winning form in the heat and humidity of Beijing.

For her there is only one boat she wants to be in.

“The Chinese are getting stronger and stronger and will be looking to do well in their own back yard.

“And you cannot discount the Germans who are the reigning champions and always seem to grind out an Olympic win.

“It is quite an open field but I would rather be in the British quad than any other quad.”

With less than a month to go before the opening ceremony in Beijing, Annie concedes there have been times when she wished she had a more mundane nine to five office job.

But she has drawn on the knowledge and experience of her crew mates to see her through.

“It’s quite a masochistic sport. So you do have mornings when you don’t want to get in a boat. But we are all in this together and look to support each other when someone is feeling down.”

See next week's Advertiser for an intervew with Sarah Winckless.