Marlow Rowers Win Gold at World Cup

Bucks rowers won medals for GB at the first World Cup of the 2012 season - the first test of the GB Rowing Team's new crews.

All 12 GB Rowing Team crews that started Sunday's finals at the World Cup in Belgrade, finished their journey on the podium as Britain won four golds, six silver and two bronze medals to add to their international-class gold and silver from Saturday's racing.

Marlow's Katherine Grainger and Zac Purchase both won gold in the women's double and lightweight men's double respectively. Greg Searle from Marlow won another silver behind World Champions Germany in the strengthened men's eight.

Britain also took the overall world cup trophy by 79 points to Germany's 47. "It's been a very good day", said GB Rowing Team Performance Director David Tanner. "To win 12 medals from 12 starts is as good, if not better than I would have hoped coming here."

"It was a good field here but we know there are more teams to come in for the next world cups, so we will not be sitting back on our laurels from here", he said.

Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter, the Olympic and World Champions, held off a spirited Greek challenge to take gold. Reigning World Champions Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger were also winners on Sunday with some quality given to their race by a strong German double.

Tanner added: "Whilst proud of the whole team I guess I'm particularly excited by the performances of our two new male crews - the men's pair and double scull who both won silvers. We knew they were talented but you don't know how they are going to perform in this kind of hot-house.

The Women's eight and quadruple scull were GB's bronze medalists.

Earlier this week, Hester Goodsell, 2008 Olympian in the lightweight women's double scull and twice a World Championships medalist, announced her retirement from the sport at international level and will return to work as a music teacher in September.