Being Cornish is an edge - Vernon

Olympic gold rowing hopeful Annie Vernon says being Cornish gives her an "edge" out on the water.

She and team-mates Katherine Grainger, Frances Houghton and Debbie Flood are reigning quad sculls world champions and favourites to triumph in Beijing.

Vernon said: "I'm British but I'm also Cornish and I feel like there is all this mass of support behind me. It's great and it gives me an edge."

The Wadebridge rower added that she was ready for what will be her first Games.

We talk a lot about being the favourites and at the end of the day the favourites normally win Annie Vernon

"I guess I'm going to be feeling nervous, but it's not as if it's a surprise.

"I've known the Olympics was going to happen ever since I started internationally racing so it's up to me to make sure I'm best prepared as I can be," she said.

Vernon is the only Olympic debutant in the crew, with Houghton and Flood winning silver medals in the quad sculls at the Athens games four years ago.

She said that being tipped to take the gold medal was something the crew had discussed.

"We talk a lot about being the favourites and at the end of the day the favourites normally win.

"If you want to win you want to be the favourites and we want to put ourselves in that position."