Since winning Olympic gold two years ago, rower Matt Gotrel has missed the thrill of the sport – but now he will get the chance to dip his toe back into the water for the inaugural Power8 Sprints event.

The 29-year-old retired after triumphing in the men’s eight event in Rio, after making waves across the globe when he won world titles in the event in both 2014 and 2015.

But after a quiet couple of years away from competitive sport, he will now get the opportunity to get back involved again for the Power8 Sprints competition in Bristol.

The innovative new competition launched by British Rowing sees both male and female crews compete for their city over a 350m course in a head-to-head knockout format as part of the annual Bristol Harbour Festival.

And Gotrel, born in Chipping Campden, is proud to be the City Champion for Bristol for the inaugural contest on July 22 at the Bristol Harbour Festival.

“It’s a great concept,” he said. “Eights is the fastest boat we have and the loudest meaning machine going, so when we get on the water it’s quite a sight.

“I came down here a couple of weeks ago to see the guys rowing out on the river where the Power8 Sprints will be and I’m excited to get involved.

“It’s something different for rowing, something we’ve been crying out for a while.

“Indoor rowing is getting quite big now as well and that suits this kind of distance, it’s a bit easier to train for 350m rather than 2000m.

“Bristol has got lots of rowing experience, two universities here and they’ll hopefully get some good athletes in who’ll represent the city well.

“I retired since Rio and I miss being out on the water, miss being with mates and the day to day sort of stuff – the racing – but real life comes calling at some point.

“So I’m really excited to get involved with the guys who are racing with that competitive nature, and hopefully Team Bristol will come out on top on their home waters.”

The races only last for around a minute, making it the perfect stop-off during a summer’s day out.

Eight cities will be competing against each other in the race: Bristol, Newcastle, Manchester, Nottingham, Exeter, Oxford, Cambridge and London.

But for rowing fans who can’t make it down to the River Avon, BT Sport will be broadcasting live from the event.

Matt Gotrel is a City Champion for Bristol’s Power8 Sprints rowing crew, who will be competing at the inaugural event on the 22nd July, as the headline act on the water at the Bristol Harbour Festival. To find out how you can get involved, visit www.power8sprints.com