Sbihi desperate to retain European title

The 29-year-old took a two-month break from rowing after winning gold at Rio last year, but has been back in a boat since November and has lost none of his will to win.

He will head to the European Championships later this month, in Racice, Czech Republic, with Matthew Tarrant, Callum McBrierty and fellow Rio gold medallist Will Satch as his new crewmates in the four, and with a gold medal in the bag from the opening World Cup of the season last weekend.

Their heat did not get off to the best start, however, but they came through to win it and Sbihi said it was an eye opener ahead of the rest of the 2017 season.

"Everyone just disappeared at the start and we were almost stationary, that was a bit or a rude awakening because that never happened in the two years I had been in the coxless four, that never happened once," he admitted.

"The World Cups and European Championships are very important to us, but the main thing is the World Championships.

"We've had a big turnover of athletes, so a lot of our champions have long-since retired, and we've got new blood in the sport that needs experience.

"And one of the biggest ways of being experienced is by trying to win a World Championship with two Olympic gold medallists in that boat.

"For people like Matt and Callum, to be able to row with us on a day to day basis, will only then help the squad further down the line.

"The more champions we can create in the first year, the stronger the squad will be come November."

With the British Rowing squad for the European Championships featuring a number of past Olympians, but also a lot of new blood, Sbihi admitted the winter has been full of hard graft as the new recruits settle into the squad.

"The new guys are doing really well. We've now been on three training camps with each other. We get exposed to each other and where we operate the best," he added.

"I think some good bonds and camaraderie has been formed, and that has made the group stronger.

"When I came back in, in November, December time, you could see that the new boys were a little bit tepid in the ways that they were training.

"Whereas now they are getting the gist of what you have to do, and they're learning very quickly, which is good.

"And they're pushing themselves and we can see straight away the improvements. There were flood of PBs coming through the testing season, on the ergos and in the racing we did for our trials was all very close.

"So you can see the impact that just being in the squad has. I'd say that the group is getting much stronger on a day to day basis and is starting to build a platform to work from."

Sportsbeat 2017