Olympic gold medallist Zac Purchase says he is delighted to be back in Great Britain Rowing's World Cup squad.

The Tewkesbury sculler missed all of the 2009 season with illness after winning gold in Beijing in 2008.

Purchase told BBC Gloucestershire : "Last year was challenging not being fit. In the winter I could see what the target was and it's good to be racing."

Four other Gloucestershire rowers - Peter Reed, Alex Gregory, Beth Rodford and Natasha Page - were also selected.

Purchase will race alone in the single sculls on the opening weekend in Slovenia at the end of May because double sculls partner Mark Hunter is injured, but Reed remains in the men's pair with Andy Hodge.

Last year they had a finely balanced tussle with the New Zealanders Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, but Reed is confident they can be beaten.

"Andy and I really enjoyed last season and we made huge improvements through it.

"We're the fastest boat the team can produce and if you go into races with that kind of confidence then you know you're in a good way."

Purchase was world lightweight single sculls champion in 2006

Reed made his name in the men's four in Beijing, and the 2010 boat remains unchanged from last year.

Wormington's Alex Gregory was part of the World Championship winning crew, and he says the first of the season's World Cup regattas will see all the major nations wanting to put down a marker.

"It's the venue for the World Championships in 2011, which is also the qualifying year for the the Olympics as well so people are going to want to come," he said.

"The hard thing will be to repeat what we did last year when we had a really good run, but that's what we're going to try and do."

In the women's team, Natasha Page keeps her place in the eight, but Beth Rodford switches from the quad to the double sculls and will partner Annabel Vernon.

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