Skipton-born Hodge competes in the same boat from which Sir Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent won gold medals in the last two Olympics.

For the first time in 28 years, the British rowing team does not have the presence of a Redgrave or Pinsent, but their legacy has a lasting impression on the country's new rowers.

Their new training facilities at Caversham, Reading, is named the Redgrave Pinsent Lake in honour of the great double act who made rowing one of Britain's strongest Olympic disciplines.

"It's the start of a new era for us," said Hodge, 29, who along with Steve Williams, Tom James and Pete Reed finished second in the final World Cup regatta in Poland last weekend.

"I feel as though I'm learning every year and getting better every year. We're going to work as a team and do everything we can to win."
Yesterday, Hodge was one a of a trio of Yorkshire rowers named in the 43-strong squad to fly out to China in six weeks' time.

Harrogate-born Debbie Flood, 28, a silver medallist in the women's quadruple scull in Athens four years ago, looks to go one better in the same boat in Beijing.

"We've been world champions the last three years so the pressure is really on us," said Flood.

Northallerton's Carla Ashford, 29, makes her Olympics debut as part of the women's eight.

"It's not sunk in yet," said Ashford. "This is what you train for all these years and to finally achieve it is just phenomenal."