The new hero of Skipton powered the men's coxless four to Olympic gold on the Shunyi rowing lake in Beijing on Saturday.

It was the fulfilment of four years of planning, intense training and single-minded dedication for the 29-year-old who will put himself through the same demanding ordeal in London in four years time.

He also plans to use his appointment as captain of Moseley Boat Club to empower the next crop of rowers with his own will to win, borne out of his own personal journey from the despair of Athens – when he missed out on the final with the men's eight – to the utter elation of Beijing.

"I have an enormous sense of relief after that race," said Hodge, speaking to the Yorkshire Post from his base in Beijing.

"There was a lot to put to bed.

"With Athens, and then the recent success in Beijing, turning it all into gold meant a huge amount.

"And now it feels like my body is drained and my head just wants to lie as low as it can.

"Unfortunately, for my girlfriend and parents, that's not what they wanted when they came out to see me.

"It has been a great few days with all the support that has come flooding in, and it makes me so happy to know that I could make so many people proud.

"But that chapter is over now, what remains is the next four years. London 2012 is now my target and when I finish enjoying this medal, the mission is on."

After winning Olympic gold, Hodge's name now sits alongside the greats of British rowing.

Fulfilling the expectation of a nation brought up on the rowing glories of Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent was his biggest challenge in Beijing.

And he bore the brunt of that pressure more than team-mates Tom James, Pete Reed and Steve Williams, the latter who won gold alongside Pinsent in Athens.

Hodge spoke before he departed for China of this being the chance for British rowing to begin a new era, without a Redgrave or a Pinsent in the team for the first time in nearly two decades.

Added to the pressure of former champions, Hodge was driven by his own suffering in Athens, which ignited in him a fear of failure.

Hodge's inner torment drove Great Britain's coxless four.

Through the heats and the semi-finals at Shunyi, they were the outstanding boat.

But Hodge – who dictated the team's tempo from the front stroke seat – and his crew, did not get ahead of themselves.

Even in the final, when they were half a length down on the Australians with 500m to go, they did not panic, believing in the dynamic of a cohesive unit to overhaul the deficit and power to the line.

Not only will the experiences of the Beijing final help Hodge in four years time, they will also provide the basis of the wisdom he will impart to the next crop of budding Redgraves, Pinsents and dare we say, Hodges.

"There are so many good things I can do now," Hodge said. "One of which is to hopefully inspire the next generation of young athletes, from all walks of life, and give them some clues as to how to get the most out of themselves."

His plan begins with the club that harnessed his Olympic potential back in 2000, Moseley, and before long will encompass all of rowing's future champions across the country.

"The next four years isn't about how I move on, but how we move on," Hodge said. "I want to see more rowers on the Olympic stage come London.

"How can we pull our resources together and give our athletes the best chance in this sport?

"With my medal, I am now in a real position to make a difference. There are so many people who never had the chance to find the potential within themselves, I want to turn this around and see that as many people are motivated enough to reach out and find something besides a 9 to 5 job.

"Ideally this attitude would come from a wider society appealing far beyond rowing, but for now I will start at my club.

"We have plans to construct pathways through the club, to give kids the opportunity to exploit any potential they have.

"These lead to two paths, high performance or participation. This way we're not just flogging our rowers but getting the most from them, they either just enjoy the sport or they want to win."

But before he plots more Olympic glory for himself and Britain's future rowers, Hodge is allowing himself time to reflect on his own personal achievement.

He said: "As for now, there are several parties, a couple of interviews, and a holiday waiting ... and a very nice medal that I will cherish for life.

"I love rowing for my life ,and I loved winning an Olympic gold medal."

Click here to read Andy Hodge's exclusive Olympic blogs for the Yorkshire Post.