Yorkshire duo get set for crucial day at Eton Dorney

Two of Yorkshire’s rowing stars from Beijing face a vital day in their quest for further glory at London 2012.

Hebden Bridge’s Andrew Triggs Hodge begins the defence of the men’s four Olympic crown at Eton Dorney while Guiseley’s Debbie Flood faces a real battle if she wants to retire after London with a gold medal to her name.

The two-time silver medallist finished fourth alongside Melanie Wilson, Frances Houghton and Beth Rodford in the heats of the women’s quadruple sculls.

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They row in the repechage today, needing to finish in the top four to make Wednesday’s final.

Flood, 32, intends to retire after the Games, and has already spent 18 months out of the sport post-Beijing to pursue a career as a prison officer.

Flood began the season in the women’s eight before forcing her way back into her favoured quad during the recent three-regatta World Cup series.

The campaign for Hodge and his team in the men’s four begins with the heats today.

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Team GB’s sole rowing lightweight women double sculls team of Sophie Hosking and North Yorkshire’s Kat Copeland opened their campaign with a rousing victory in front of 20,000 fans at Eton Dorney, to seal their place in tomorrow’s semi-final.

The pair finished three seconds ahead of Denmark and six ahead of New Zealand in their heat.

Copeland, 21, from Stokesely, said: “It was great at the start, it just felt like the Dorney where we’ve done so many pressurised events like the GB Trials. I think that gave us an advantage.

“For me it’s also a good thing to have not done the Olympics before. I think you can come into it excited and just enjoy it.

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“Having pressure on us in the semi-final is not a bad thing. After, all, this is the Olympics and we want to get into the final. The pressure comes more from ourselves.”

Bradford-born Matt Wells is in the semi-final of the men’s quad sculls tomorrow after the GB team finished second in their heat. The men’s eight, in their first race together following the return from injury of stroke Constantine Louloudis, produced an impressive race to take second behind three-time world champions Germany.

City of York’s Tom Ransley was in the boat alongside Greg Searle who was making his Olympic comeback at the age of 40 and two decades after winning gold in Barcelona.

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning confirmed their status as gold medal favourites as they stormed into the final of the women’s pair in a new Olympic record time.