Rio or retirement – that is the decision Katherine Grainger will have to make this September.
The 38-year-old, who won a gold medal in the double sculls at the London 2012, admits she is still swithering over whether to set her sights on reaching a fifth Olympic Games.
Grainger says she has not given up hopes of representing her country at Rio 2016.
She said: “I haven’t decided yet. I have not been part of the British team since London but I am in communication with the coaches and the team manager.
“They all understand the situation and are respectful of why it is such an important and difficult decision for me.
“I didn’t think I would go to two or three Olympics let alone four and be considering a fifth.
“It is a big decision either way.
“The international summer season is just kicking off and I will not be part of that. That ends at the beginning of September when there will be a couple of weeks break.
“If I am seriously considering Rio then I will be back in September.
“It would be tough and I would have to be doing it for the right reasons and have the same drive as I did before I won the Olympic gold.
“It wouldn’t be a case of just coming back to join in for another couple of years. The aim would be to be at the top or not at all.”