Double-Olympic champion Andrew Triggs-Hodge leads the roster of 13 south west London athletes in Rio 2016 action today.
Racing in the men’s eight boat, Hodge is seeking his third Olympic gold, having won in the men’s four boat in 2008 and 2012.
The Molesey Boat Club member has joined an eights squad that has grown to be highly competitive in the last four years.
They followed up their bronze at London 2012 with world championship golds in 2013 and 2015.
Calling the eight through their race will be cox Phelan Hill, a resident of Putney.
Charged with steering the boat and dictating the stroke rate, Hill will need to be on form as much as any of the rowers in the boat if GB are to succeed — the heats start at 1.10pm.
Jess Eddie, a London Rowing Club member, and Karen Bennett, a St Mary’s graduate, are going in the women’s eight.
While Charlotte Taylor, of Putney Town Rowing Club, will compete in the lightweight double sculls.
The GB eight will face off against Canada and New Zealand at 12.50pm, with only the top crew securing an automatic place in Saturday’s final.
Taylor will race with partner Katherine Copeland in heat one against Italian, Danish, Chinese and American pairs at 3:10pm for a place in the semi-finals.
At 2.50pm, Twickenham’s John Collins will seek qualification to the final of the men’s double sculls with his partner Jonny Walton.
The pair came fourth in their heat on Saturday, but the repechage today offers another opportunity to reach the final.
Moe Sbihi and George Nash will compete in the blue riband men’s four event at 5pm.
Team GB have dominated the men’s four, winning every Olympic gold since 2000.
Both Nash, another member of Molesey Boat Club, and Surbiton-based Sbihi, have an Olympic bronze from London under their belts — in the coxless pair and men’s eight respectively.
They’ll be joined in the fours boat by Constantine Louloudis and Alex Gregory.
Wandsworth-born Beijing bronze medallist Bryony Shaw gets her campaign for gold underway today in the RS:X windsurfing women’s event, with the first three races in the event taking place from 5.15pm.
Shaw, who came seventh in the same event in London 2012, will be looking to get off to a strong start in today’s opening races, as consistency will be key over the thirteen-race Olympic series.
The three athletes became the first Surbiton players to represent Team GB at an Olympics with a 2-1 win over Australia in their first pool game on Sunday morning.
Ainsley and Twigg started the match, while Webb was introduced after eight minutes.
India drew their first game of the tournament 2-2 with Japan, and are ranked 13th in the world.
Great Britain does not have a ranking but England are seventh in the world, and the Team GB squad is comprised mostly of English players.
Great Britain and India are in pool B, along with the US, Argentina, Japan and Australia.
Elsewhere, Alice Richardson, who attended St Mary’s University, will try and help secure a medal for Great Britain in the women’s rugby sevens, with Team GB taking on New Zealand for a place in the final at 7:00pm.
Having already romped to the top of their pool with comfortable wins over Brazil, Japan and Canada, before a Richardson try helped dismiss Fiji 26-7 in the quarter-finals, the team appear to be peaking at just the right time in their quest for a sevens medal — which has been included as an Olympic sport for the first time in Rio.
If the girls win against the All Blacks, they will take on the winners of the Australia-Canada semi-final for Olympic gold at 11:00pm, while a defeat would see them play for bronze half an hour earlier.
Images courtesy of Ravi Ghowry, with thanks
