World Rowing Cup: Great Britain set up chance to win 12 medals on Sunday

Tom Ransley and Will Satch won men's eight gold in Rio

Great Britain have the chance to win 12 medals on Sunday at the first World Rowing Cup of the season in Serbia.

With the men's four already qualified for the final from Friday's heat, 11 British boats qualified from their semi-final heats on Saturday.

Three Olympic champions are in the British squad as the cycle for the Tokyo Games in 2020 begins.

Tom Ransley, who won men's eight gold in Rio, helped his new team-mates qualify fastest for their final.

The regatta on Belgrade's Sava Lake began on Friday, with Britain's men's four, featuring Olympic gold medallists Mohamed Sbihi and Will Satch, qualifying fastest from their heat.

Friday's afternoon racing was postponed because of strong winds, and crews faced cold and windy conditions as racing continued on Saturday.

Vicky Thornley, who won Olympic silver in the double sculls last summer, will race in the women's single sculls final after leading her heat from start to finish and winning by nearly three seconds from Ireland's Sanita Puspure.

Jacob Dawson and Matthew Rossiter qualified fastest in the men's pair, while Peter Chambers and Will Fletcher, who competed together at Rio 2016, are through to the lightweight men's double sculls final, alongside Ireland's Olympic silver medallists Gary and Paul O'Donovan.

Both British boats in the men's quadruple sculls secured their place in the medal final, with the senior boat, containing John Collins, Jonny Walton, Tom Barras and Jack Beaumont, finishing a length ahead of the Netherlands. The Under-23 boat, featuring Harry Leask, Rowan Law, Harry Glenister and Andy Joel, battled well to finish third.

Holly Norton and Karen Bennett secured a favourable lane in the women's pair final after winning their heat, while in the lightweight men's pair, Sam Scrimgeour and Joel Cassells won their race by more than two seconds.

British boats finished second and third in the lightweight women's double sculls race, with Maddie Arlett and Emily Craig finishing ahead of Katherine Copeland and Charlotte Booth.

The women's quadruple sculls, containing Under-23 world champions Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Jessica Leyden, finished third in their race behind Poland and the Netherlands.