Lancaster duo's bid for gold begins

Scott Durant and Polly Swann, who will represent Team GB in the men’s and women’s eights respectively, get their campaigns underway on Monday, the women at 1pm and the men 10 minutes later.

If they come through as expected, the finals take place this Saturday, August 13.

Lancaster-born 2013 world women’s pair champion Swann, heading to her first Olympics after agonisingly missing London 2012 through injury, will be part of a team that has already been crowned European Champions and world cup silver medallists in 2016.

The 27-year-old will be joined by cox Zoe de Toledo, Frances Houghton, set for her fifth Olympic Games appearance, Katie Greves, Melanie Wilson, Jessica Eddie, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, Karen Bennett and Zoe Lee.

Former Lancaster Royal Grammar School pupil Durant, 28, is a European bronze medalist in the men’s eight this year, having been European champion and world bronze medalist in the men’s four in 2015.

Also making his Olympic debut he will joined by Tom Ransley, Andrew T Hodge, Matt Gotrel, Pete Reed, Paul Bennett, Matt Langridge, Will Satch and cox Phelan Hill in the eight.

The crew pressed the German Olympic champions all the way to the line before narrowly taking silver at last month’s world cup in Poland.