Flood gets her chance to make Olympics history

Guiseley’s Debbie Flood is hoping to win at the third attempt in the quadruple scull, having secured silver in Beijing four years ago and Athens in 2004.

Success would also mark Britain’s first women’s Olympic gold medal in rowing.

With just 50 days now to go until the Games begin, Flood is joined in the 48-man party by Bradford-born Matt Wells, Hebden’s Andy Hodge and York City RC’s Tom Ransley.

Wells, 33, is contesting the men’s quadruple scull while Hodge will, along with colleagues Peter Reed and Tom James plus newcomer Alex Gregory, defend the men’s four title secured in China.

Ransley, meanwhile, is in the reckoning for a place on the men’s eight team but injury concerns over Constantine Louloudis have prevented the British Olympic Association from finalising that crew.

There are also question marks over the final make-up of the women’s eight, with 10 athletes named by the BOA at yesterday’s official announcement in the shadow of Windsor Castle.

Louloudis, 20, was selected as stroke of the eight at the start of the season but withdrew from both the Belgrade and Lucerne World Cups with a back injury.

The BOA have named only seven rowers and cox Phelan Hill, who survived a challenge to his selection from 2000 Olympic champion Rowley Douglas.

Selection for the women’s eight was complicated by a combination of injury and illness, which led to Louisa Reeve, Annabel Vernon and Natasha Page all returning to the boat in Lucerne. Vicky Thornley, who raced in the quad at the last World Cup regatta, and Lindsey Maguire, who was injured, are also in the mix and battling for final selection.

The two athletes who miss out will be selected as reserves.

The BOA said final selections would be confirmed “in due course” and take the full squad to 52 athletes, the largest Britain have ever fielded at an Olympics.

Despite the uncertainty over the eights, Britain were able to name a powerful squad that featured five of the six Olympic champions from Beijing.

Britain were the leading rowing nation in Beijing and were still on top of the world at last year’s world championships in Bled.

Greg Searle, a gold medallist in Barcelona in 1992, will compete at his fourth Games at 40 after being named in the men’s eight.