GB Rowing Team confirms Reed and Hodge in men’s pair

The GB Rowing Team has this morning confirmed that Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge will race in a pair at the season’s first world cup of the season in Munich from May 27-29.

Reed, 29, from Gloucestershire and Hodge, 32, from Yorkshire,  who became Olympic champions in the men’s four in Beijing with Tom James and Steve Williams, have been world silver medalists in the men’s pair twice in a row.

Both times they lost to Hamish Bond and Eric Murray but the last time they met, in November 2010 on the New Zealanders’ home water at Lake Karapiro, only 0.32 separated the two crews.

There had been some speculation that the British duo might switch under the eye of the Head Coach for Men, Jurgen Grobler, into a four. Today’s confirmation ends that speculation. 

Andrew Triggs Hodge said:  “It’s an enormous challenge to be in the pair. But we still hunger for it, especially after the world championships last year.  That is what motivates us every day in training”.

Pete Reed said:  “ Jurgen said that what we did at the Trials in April showed that we are ready for it. Obviously, it’s just for the first world cup for now and anything can change but right now it’s very exciting, I’m really looking forward to it. I think it’s a great decision”.

Jurgen Grobler said:  “After the great experience we had last year, the guys have made a lot of improvements in many ways over the winter and we will now continue and see whether we have made progress”.

Britain will announce its full line up for the World Cup in Munich at 11am on May 11th at the national training centre at Caversham near Reading.

Members of the media are invited to this event when rowers like Reed and Hodge as well as Katherine Grainger,  Anna Watkins, Greg Searle and Olympic lightweight men’s double scull champions Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter are amongst more than 30 reigning GB world medallists who will be on hand for interview.