A WELWYN rower steps up his bid for a second Olympic Games berth later this week. Former world champion Tom Stallard will contest this weekend s GB Rowing senior trials in Hazewinkel, Belgium. The test is the most important challenge so far in determining

A WELWYN rower steps up his bid for a second Olympic Games berth later this week.

Former world champion Tom Stallard will contest this weekend's GB Rowing senior trials in Hazewinkel, Belgium.

The test is the most important challenge so far in determining who will represent Great Britain at this summer's Olympics in Beijing.

Stallard will race alongside the Army's Robin Bourne-Taylor in the men's pairs event, which looks likely to be one of the most competitive races.

Reigning champions Peter Reed and Andy Triggs-Hodge will seek to defend their title against Stallard and Bourne-Taylor as well as, among others, Olympic gold medallist Steve Williams, racing with Leander team-mate Matt Langridge, and twice world champion Alex Partridge, racing with Cheshire's Rick Egington, a 2007 world bronze medallist.

Stallard, 29, competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the men's eight.

A former Cambridge University president, he rowed four times for the Light Blues in the famous Boat Race against Oxford, winning twice.

Lottery Funded through a UK Sport Performance Grant, Stallard won a bronze medal in the eight at the 2007 World Championships.

He finished fourth in the men's pair at the 2007 GB senior trials and came fifth in the men's eight at the Linz World Cup last June, won a bronze in the eight at the Amsterdam World Cup and came fourth in the men's eight at the Lucerne World Cup.

Stallard started rowing at the age of 13 with his father Matt, who is a former University of London rower and well known as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who has helped many rowers back to fitness.

Tom raced in the coxed four at the World U23 Championships in 1999, winning bronze, and finished fourth in the same event the following year.

He gained his first senior GB vest when he won gold in the coxed four at the 2002 World Championships in Seville, Spain, with three of the Olympic gold medal-winning eight from Sydney.

The Herts rower followed this with a silver medal in the same boat class at the 2003 World Championships in Milan, Italy, and went on to gain Olympic selection for Athens in the eight, finishing ninth.

Tom raced in the men's eight throughout the World Cup series in 2005, taking a bronze medal at Eton and a fifth place at the World Cup finals in Lucerne.

The eight went on to perform well at the 2005 World Championships in Gifu, Japan, finishing fourth.

The 2006 World Cup saw a fifth place in Munich and sixth in Lucerne.

Now studying for a masters in motorsport engineering at Brunel University, Stallard was also part of the British men's eight that finished fifth in the final of the 2006 World Championships at Eton.