The Commonwealth Rowing Championships are taking place in Canada

By Henry Milward BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Aspiring British star Ben Hicks believes he can give his Olympic hopes a further boost at the Commonwealth Rowing Championships in Ontario, Canada.

The 25-year-old claimed gold in the open single sculls at the British Rowing Championships in Glasgow in July and is eyeing a repeat performance in North America.

An appearance in London 2012 would complete a remarkable turnaround for Hicks, who only took up the sport two years ago.

He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "There isn't really anyone that's gone from never rowing before to being successful in four years but that's not to say it's impossible.

"That's a fantastic challenge in its own right.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to secure a place there in front of my home nation."

If things don't go well and London doesn't happen then there's always the nice exotic location of Rio di Janeiro come 2016 Ben Hicks

The Newmarket-based oarsman breezed to victory in the British Championships but knows he will face a trickier task as part of the English squad in Canada.

Although England topped the medals table at the 2006 competition, Hicks sees the Commonwealth Championships as a learning curve.

"I think I would just like to progress," he added.

"This year for me has been about getting a lot of racing experience, so to go up against a number of different countries is going to be another fantastic opportunity to extend that experience.

"It gives me a good opportunity to race against people that I'll be competing against in order to get into the Great Britain squad itself."

Hicks, who trains with the Isle of Ely Rowing Club, is set to take part in the heavyweight single sculls, the pairs, doubles, fours and mixed eights in Ontario.

And whether or not he makes it onto the British team in two years time, Hicks' rise from obscurity to national selection is worthy of note.

Having spent his teenage years training as a swimmer, he was a beneficiary of the GB Start Programme, which fast-tracked young sportsmen into national contention, with Hicks swapping his goggles for oars.

He said: "For myself it was a strange move because I always used to be a sprinter.

"We're talking 23, 24 seconds or around the minute range and now that I've come into rowing, we're talking seven or eight minutes of high intensity work, so it's a big difference."

Success in Canada would see Hicks' stock rise further, with the 2012 Olympic Games now less than two years away.

The Great Britain selectors will hold trials between October and April 2011, by which point the bulk of the squad is likely to have been set in stone.

But Hicks remains philosophical about his chances.

"If things don't go well and London doesn't happen then there's always the nice exotic location of Rio di Janeiro come 2016," he said.

The Commonwealth Rowing Championships take place on 31 July and 1 August.

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