Olympic rowing legend Sir Matthew Pinsent is backing Pembury’s Emily Craig - and Britain’s other rowers - to bounce back from Tokyo turmoil in Paris next summer.

Pinsent won four gold medals in four consecutive Games between 1992 and 2004, with Team GB going on to top the sport’s medal table at the next three showpieces in Beijing, London and Rio following his retirement.

Britain’s rowers were unceremoniously knocked off their perch in the Japanese capital two years ago, failing to win a gold medal for the first time since Moscow 1980. Craig, 30, and partner Imogen Grant, 27, finished fourth in their lightweight women’s double sculls boat.

But after an impressive showing at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade in September - where Great Britain won nine medals including one of six golds for Craig and Grant - Pinsent believes there will be a much-improved showing next summer.

“It has been remarkable that suddenly from Tokyo being so low in our ranking of Olympics, it looks like we are going to have a great Games,” said the 53-year-old.

“In five or six events we are probably the gold-medal favourite nation, we have the leading chance but it won’t be an easy regatta.

“The men’s eight and the men’s four look great; the women’s lightweight double are probably are strongest chance. Emily Craig and Imogen Grant, they came fourth in Tokyo by a fraction and they have not lost a single race since.

“You talk to them about Tokyo and they want to put it to bed, but everybody knows they will only really be able to do that during that race in Paris which they could, even should, win and I think they will.”

Pinsent was speaking at a SportsAid workshop focusing on mental health and resilience, where he shared his experiences alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as fellow athletes including five-time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds. And he hailed the greater focus on athlete mental health for the new generation of athletes compared to the little time attributed to it when he was competing.

“If I look back to when we were competing, we were muddling through,” he said.

“We thought we were doing it but we didn’t really have the tools, budget or expertise to start delving into it. Now to feel that younger athletes have a skillset is really important.”

SportsAid is seeking support from individuals and organisations to allow the charity to invest further in its mental health and wellbeing initiatives. Please contact Serena Castiglione, Head of Fundraising at SportsAid, on serena@sportsaid.org.uk if you would like to help provide talented young athletes, as well as their families, with the support and advice they need at a key time in their development.