THE Gloucester trio of Alex Gregory, Pete Reed and Matt Gotrel were among 36 GB rowers who recently returned from a 10-day Olympic training and orientation camp at the world famous Flamengo Clube in the city that will play host to the 2016 Olympic Games.

All 36 rowers were top-eight finishers at the recent world championships in Amsterdam, with Gregory a gold-medallist in the men’s four and both Reed and Gotrel also gold medal-winners in the men’s eight.

Reed, who is from Nailsworth and a former pupil at Cirencester Deer Park School, said: “The trip was extremely valuable to our 2016 Olympic preparations and I enjoyed every bit of it.

"The beauty of the city and how welcoming the locals were was the highlight for me. I can’t wait to come back to race on the Lagoa.”

Wormington’s Gregory, who went unbeaten throughout the 2014 season in the men’s four, added: “For me the trip turned into so much more than an orientation and training camp.

"We were shown the planned 2016 Olympic venues, and it quickly became apparent that this Olympics is going to be something very special.

“The venue for the rowing is simply amazing. The start line of the Olympic rowing course lies in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer’s outstretched arms and the finish, 2000m away, is in the heart of the city.

"What also struck me, apart from the beauty of the place, were the people. We were made to feel so incredibly welcome, both as a team and as individuals.

"The people of Rio are interesting and interested, passionate about life and come Olympic time they will create an atmosphere unlike anything we’ve experienced before."