European Rowing Championships: Glover & Stanning to lead GB

Glover and Stanning retained their world title in France last year

Olympic, world and European champions Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will lead a 51-strong British team at May's European Rowing Championships.

The pair, who are unbeaten since 2011, are joined by a further 15 Olympic medallists for the event in Germany.

Six, including double Olympic men's four champions Pete Reed and Andrew T Hodge, will line up in the eight.

Alex Gregory is restored to the four with fellow world champions Mo Sbihi, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis.

"Everything we do aims towards the Olympics and now finally we are starting to form the crews that will make up the team for Rio," said Gregory.

Four-time Olympic medallist Katherine Grainger reprises her 2015 partnership with Vicky Thornley in the double in Brandenburg as she endeavours to reach a fifth Games, while Frances Houghton will do likewise in the eight.

"The idea of ever competing at the Olympics was once just a dream," said Grainger. "Now, 16 years on and looking to my fifth Games, I still have the same excitement I did back then."

Thornley is joined in the squad by Welsh compatriots Graeme Thomas and Chris Bartley.

British Rowing also confirmed that six crews will race at the Varese World Cup from April 15-17.

One of the crews will be the women's quad of Holly Nixon, Jess Leyden, Tina Stiller and Rosamund Bradbury, who are one of two boats still trying to seal qualification for Rio.

Katherine Grainger, pictured here with her four Olympic medals, is attempting to qualify for her fifth Games in Rio this summer

The team in full

Open women

Pair - Helen Glover, Heather Stanning

Eight- Katie Greves, Melanie Wilson, Frances Houghton, Polly Swann, Jess Eddie, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, Karen Bennett, Zoe Lee, Zoe De Toledo (cox)

Double - Katherine Grainger, Vicky Thornley

Quad - Kristina Stiller, Jessica Leyden, Holly Nixon, Rosamund Bradbury

Open men

Pair - Alan Sinclair, Stewart Innes

Four - Alex Gregory, Mo Sbihi, George Nash, Constantine Louloudis

Eight - Matt Gotrel, Scott Durant, Pete Reed, Paul Bennett, Tom Ransley, Andrew Triggs Hodge, Matt Langridge, Will Satch, Phelan Hill (cox)

Single - Alan Campbell

Double - John Collins, Jonny Walton

Quad - Angus Groom, Sam Townsend, Graeme Thomas, Peter Lambert

Lightweight women

Single - Imogen Walsh

Double - Charlotte Taylor, Kat Copeland

Lightweight men

Pair - Sam Scrimgeour, Joel Cassells

Four - Chris Bartley, Mark Aldred, Jono Clegg, Peter Chambers

Single - Jamie Kirkwood

Double - Will Fletcher, Richard Chambers

The European Rowing Championships will be held at Brandenburg, Germany from 6-8 May.