Double Olympic champion Andy Hodge returns to the GB Rowing Team for the first time since 2014 after being selected for next month’s European Championships in Brandenburg, Germany.

The Hebden rower will race in the men’s eight alongside two-times Word Champion Paul Bennett of Leeds.

Hodge, who missed the 2015 season with illness, last raced on the international stage 19 months ago when he won the fourth World Championships title of his illustrious career in Amsterdam.

He will line up in the men’s eight next month alongside Pete Reed, with whom he won Olympic men’s four gold at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Also in the boat is Bennett, who has won successive World titles in the eight plus silver at last year’s Europeans in Poznan, Poland. Completing the crew is Matt Gotrel, Scott Durant, Tom Ransley, Matt Langridge, Will Satch and cox Phelan Hill.

Sir David Tanner, GB Rowing Team Performance Director, said: “We are clearly ambitious to do well in Rio and will race and then review the Europeans combinations announced today.”