HARROW Weald Paralympic champion Naomi Riches has been named as part of the biggest GB Rowing Team of all-time for a World Cup to race at Eton Dorney over the weekend.

Riches, who rowed to gold-medal glory at London 2012 in the mixed coxed fours, will return to the scene of that magnificent triumph for the World Cup event from June 21 to 23.

It will be the most important event the GB Rowing Team have participated in since the London 2012 Olympics, where they picked up four gold medals, two silvers and three bronzes.

And Riches, who was made an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list, is looking forward to sampling the Eton Dorney’s famous ‘wall of noise’ atmosphere once again.

“It means a lot to be back at Dorney, after the atmosphere there last year, when I rowed in the Paralympics, even if the set up isn’t going to be quite the same,” she said.

“It’s been a hard winter and tricky getting back into training because Rio is a long way off, but you look at each year as a stepping stone to a larger goal.

“If you’re the same thing in the same group over a long period of time, energy can wear a bit, so changes in combinations are good for personal development.”

Pamela Relph and Harrow’s Riches, who is visually impaired, are the returning gold medallists from the 2012 crew in the legs, trunk and arms mixed coxed four (LTA4+).

This year’s crew, however, is still in its formative stage as they are joined at Eton Dorney by raw recruits James Fox and Oliver Hester, in a crew coxed by Oliver James.

Performance director Sir David Tanner is optimistic that the team will be able to take full advantage of competing in front of a home crowd.

“We will have a big crowd at Eton Dorney on all three days and it will be a good opportunity to give our emerging and U23 crews the chance to taste the intensity of World Cup racing alongside our more established and experienced stars,” said Tanner.

“We do not expect to repeat the heights of our medal haul from 2012 – after all this is a transitional year with some top rowers taking a break or having retired – but I am sure we will give the home crowd some exciting racing and something to cheer for.”