NORTH-EAST rower Sam Redgrave can look forward to an appearance in Thursday’s final of the women’s four after the British crew progressed from yesterday’s heat as the fastest qualifiers.

Gateshead-born Redgrave, who was raised in Winlaton, was joined in the four by two-time Olympic champion Helen Glover, who was one of Team GB’s flagbearers at Friday night’s opening ceremony, as well as Rebecca Shorten and Esme Booth.

The quartet were the fastest crew on the water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, where the top two finishers from the same number of heats reached the final.

The Britons, with Glover in the bow seat, finished in 6:42.57, nearly three seconds faster than second-placed New Zealand, while the Netherlands and Romania also automatically booked berths in Thursday’s final.

While Redgrave, who worked in a hospital before committing full-time to rowing, is competing at her first Olympics, Glover won her first Olympic gold in the women’s pair with Heather Stanning at London 2012 and defended that title four years later together in Rio before deciding to step away from the sport to have children with husband and TV presenter Steve Backshall.

Three children later, she made history at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games as she became the first mother to compete for Team GB in rowing, coming up just short of the podium as she and new partner Polly Swann finished fourth.

Though home life looks quite different these days, Glover said: “The weird thing is I think if you were to kind of transport yourself into the ‘me’ of any start line over the last decade there’s not much difference.

“The way I think, the way I feel, the way I act on that start line, it’s just me. Whether I’ve got three children, whether I’m at my first Olympic Games, it just feels like a place where I’m just ready to go out and do what I can.”

Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson reached the men’s fours final with a second-place finish, while Olllie Wynne-Griffith and Tom George, aiming to become the first British men to win Olympic men’s coxless pair gold since Sirs Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, advanced to the semi-finals after topping their heat.

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant reached the lightweight women’s doubles sculls semis, while Chloe Brew and Edwards finished fourth in their women’s pairs heat and will have another chance to qualify for the final via the repechages.