Devon's Marcus Bateman is determined to leave no stone unturned in his bid to win rowing gold at both the World Championships and the Olympics.

The 27-year-old, who only took up rowing six years ago, partners Matt Wells in the men's double scull.

He told BBC Spotlight: "I would like to be world champion and to do that I have to train harder than anyone.

"I've got to put my body through the most pain it can endure and really push those limits further than anyone else."

Bateman and Wells only teamed up in the double scull at the start of the year, but have already proved to be a big success, with wins at two out of three World Cup Series held over the summer.

Their only disappointment came in Lucerne, Switzerland, where the French boat edged the race to win gold.

I always dreamt of going to the Olympics, but to have them hosted in your back garden is going to be great Marcus Bateman

"Lucerne was just a taster of what the Olympic final will be like," said Bateman.

"It's going to kick off - everyone will be wanting to win that race, and the doubles event is so tight that just one little mistake and that's it, you're gone."

New Zealand is the venue for the British pair's next big event, with the World Championships coming to Lake Karapiro on 30 October.

With the prizes on offer only getting bigger from this point on, Bateman knows thorough mental preparation is paramount to what he wants to achieve.

He said: "The more relaxed I am during racing, the better I'm going to perform.

"If I'm tense and uptight then I'm not going to get the length of stroke that I want to be getting and you put yourself under pressure.

French duo deny British hat-trick

"The person that deals with pressure off the water will have the best chance to perform on the day."

The level of expectation around Bateman and Wells is likely to grow even further with the approach of the London Olympics in 2012, but for the Torquay oarsman the prospect of competing in his home country is something to be relished.

"I always dreamt of going to the Olympics, but to have them hosted in your back garden is going to be great," he said.

"The atmosphere is going got be like nothing I've ever experienced. I can only imagine what it's going to be like racing, coming into that last 500m - it's going to be one of those life changing moments."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version