With the Olympic Games well underway, a local rower enjoyed his moment in the spotlight after he helped his team triumph at the first ever Invesco Perpetual City Regatta in London.

Jamie Palmer, 27, and three other team-mates from Thames Rowing Club were the star performers in the capital’s Canada Square Park on Friday evening when they saw off a host of challengers to be crowned the best male team over 1km on Concept 2 rowing machines.

The Invesco Perpetual City Regatta is a spectacular new challenge where four-strong male and female crews compete head to head in a series of fast and furious regatta-style knock-out races live on stage in four cities across the country.

Palmer and his rowing friends were in action at the fourth event of the series in London, after Edinburgh, Leeds and Bristol, before the Invesco Perpetual City Regatta Winner’s Row-Off on October 12 at the Guildhall, London, which will take place in front of an array of rowing legends and heroes returning from Rio.

And having earned local bragging rights last Friday, Palmer, who works in the charity sector, was already setting his sights on walking away with the national title.

“It has been a fantastic event with lots of people out, with some really good competition trying to get more people involved in rowing,” he said.

“I was expecting to be pulled along by my three team-mates because they have been doing a lot more training than me over the past year so I had a lot of confidence in them.

“Our women’s team has just won as well which is great, it’s great to have such strong presence from Thames Rowing Club.

“It’s great to have Invesco Perpetual bring this regatta to the city centre. We spend a lot of time outside on the water, but it’s often training alone, so we don’t get the same atmosphere, so it’s great to have an event like this which brings so many people to rowing.

“It’s going to be great going to the Guildhall and meeting so many famous Olympians. It’s even better that I’ll be going with my teammates so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Designed to test both fitness and teamwork, the Invesco Perpetual City Regatta is open to everyone – from seasoned pros, rowing novices or those who are just up for a new challenge.

During the competition, all four crew members row on separate rowing machines at the same time over a target distance of 1km with the racing software producing a 500m split pace for each rower, while the individual splits are then compiled in real time into one average split pace for the entire crew.

Their progress is then displayed on big screens for competitors and spectators alike to see – including double Olympic medallist Alex Partridge who was there to cheer on crews and offer words of encouragement.

And for Partridge, who won silver and bronze at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 respectively, the standard of rowing on show was more than impressive.

“Invesco Perpetual have had a long-standing relationship with rowing, and specifically Leander Club, which is the biggest backer of the British rowing team outside of British Rowing themselves,” he said.

“It’s been part of the grassroots foundation programme and the City Regatta is all about building the profile of Leander Club and providing a platform for future Olympians in rowing, looking ahead to Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

“It’s been a very special day to hold the Invesco Perpetual City Regatta because we have seen the first two British gold medals in rowing being won in Rio.

“It’s a phenomenal event, it’s amazing to see the support of rowing, particularly rowing on the machine, which is one of the painful apparatus that there is in any gym.

“And I think the opportunity that the Invesco Perpetual City Regatta have opened up, to be able to attend the celebration of Great Britain’s Olympic medallists and athletes at the Guildhall with Leander Club, is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and a really special thing to have.”

Invesco Perpetual’s innovative new ‘City Regatta’ event is a celebration of the achievements of Leander Club, the main feeder club to the GB team with 24 of its rowers competing in Rio, and aims to encourage more people across the UK to get involved in rowing.