Egington on a gold medal mission after Beijing silver (From Warrington Guardian)

Egington on a gold medal mission after Beijing silver

7:30am Friday 10th February 2012 in Sport

RICHARD Egington believes his best chance of gold in London 2012 will depend on his own performance – irrespective of which boat he ends up in.

The former Lymm High School pupil was in the star boat for the GB rowing team as he and the men’s four won last year’s world championships in Slovenia.

But with speculation mounting that two of the team’s other stars, Pete Reed and Andy Hodge, will move to the four from a pair, Egington could yet miss out on the blue riband event.

The selection trials at the Olympic venue of Dorney on March 10 and 11 will dictate what happens in the summer.

But the 32-year-old says he is determined to be in the best shape he can be no matter which boat he is in.

“My best chance to win a gold medal is to make sure I am as good as I can be.

“Whether that is in the four or the eight,” he added.

And he believes with competition for places stronger than four years ago when he won silver in the men’s eight in Beijing, there will be plenty of golden days come July and August.

He added: “We are stronger now as a team than we were in Beijing.

“I guess there is more pressure. But when you have been there once, you always want to get better and that for me now means gold.”

And with less than six months until the opening ceremony, he says the expectation is starting to rise.

He added: “Training-wise, it has been like any year, but you can feel there is more of a sense of urgency now that 2012 is here.”

Preparations will step up in Italy in April, with three World Cup events to follow in May and June.