sweep oar

With only four lightweight sweep oar seats on offer in Rio, he'll hope to stake his claim again in internal seat racing in the next two weeks.

World sweep oar medalist Becca Chin from Aberconwy also goes, alongside fellow Wales cap and Cardiff University graduate Beccy Girling, while Gemma Hall takes on the likes of London 2012 champion Kat Copeland in the women's lightweight singles.

Their London 2012 Olympic silver medal lightweight four crewmate Chris Bartley from Wrexham stroked this year's sweep oar crew to a dramatic semi-final win over World Cup champions New Zealand, and goes for gold today in a bid to reclaim the title he won in 2010, when he became Wales' first ever Welsh world rowing champion.

As a sport, the races are divided into scull and sweep oar and have a lightweightand heavyweight division.

The team of Sarah O'Brien, Sarah Irwin, Hayley Rigby and Kate Preston are to compete in the sweep oar event, where rowers use a single oar as in the Boat Race.

Former model Thornley, 28, still had tough competition in Olympic and world pairs champions Helen Glover - unbeaten in the sweep oar boat for more than four years - and Heather Stanning, plus Beijing quads silver medalists Fran Houghton and Debbie Flood.

Imogen Evans placed 40th overall and will take part in the GB U23 sweep oar trials Olympic rower Tom James and fellow GB cap James Solesbury had to settle for fifth place at the British winter trials regatta