Coach will call 2012 shots for Andy Hodge

Yorkshire rower Andy Hodge won gold as part of the men's four in Beijing two years ago but along with fellow Olympic Games-winning oarsman Pete Reed, has dedicated himself to the men's pair ever since.

The two men begin their 2010 season in Slovenia this weekend at the first of three World Cup regattas which serve as stepping stones for the World Championships in New Zealand in November.

And with the London Olympics a little over two years away, Hodge, 31 – who won a world championship silver medal in the pair event last year – is still not sure in what boat he will compete, or how much of a say he will get in the matter.

"I love the pair, it's a great boat to be in," said Oxbridge-educated Hodge, who grew up in Hebden. "But equally I had a lot of fun and a lot of great times in the four.

"Part of me would love to face the challenge in the pair. But come the Olympics, you're going to be in a very fast field whatever boat you're in. You've got to be rowing to a gold medal standard.

"And if I had a preference it wouldn't matter, it's about the best decision being made for the good of the squad.

"(Coach) Jurgen Grobler is the man who will call the shots. I've just got to make sure I'm his lead rower whatever boat and that I'm setting new standards for myself."

Grobler, the man who steered Sir Steve Redgrave to three of his five gold medals, has put Hodge and the Great Britain rowing team through a rigorous training regime this Spring ahead of an unusually long season which culminates three months later than normal with the World Championships being held in November.

"He's really pushing us through the pain barrier," said Hodge. "He's got his eye on the worlds in November.

"Jurgen is always setting us a gold-medal standard and every year that moves on a level as he prepares us for the next step. And this is all part of that process.

"Pete and I are trying to get to the stage where the boat is running that well, everything just clicks. When you find that relationship with your partner, there's something romantic about it. And I have still got the hunger and the will to find that.

"There are days when the training's hard, but I still love it – when you're training on a warm summer's day there's no place I'd rather be."

The Slovenia regatta also marks the return of Guiseley-born twice Olympic silver medallist Debbie Flood, who competes in the single scull following 18 months out of the sport after Beijing.

Bradford-born Olympic bronze medallist Matt Wells also teams up with Marcus Bateman in the double sculls.