Pembury’s Emily Craig says partnership with Imogen Grant couldn’t be better as duo chase another World Rowing Championship lightweight women’s double sculls title in Belgrade

Emily Craig is hoping her close off-water friendship with rowing partner Imogen Grant can propel the duo to new heights as they look to defend their World Championship crown.

Craig, 30, and Grant have enjoyed a stellar two years in the lightweight women’s double sculls, not losing since the Tokyo Olympic Games and claiming consecutive gold medals in the European Championships and arriving in Belgrade as reigning world champions.

They began their latest bid with victory over New Zealand, Austria, Peru and Egypt in heat two on Monday, the pair the only entrants to break the seven-minute mark in 6.59.28. The Semi-Final is on Thursday.

The pair have obviously become very close during those successes and Craig, from Pembury, is looking to add another world title to their collection and qualify the boat for the Olympic Games next year in Paris in the process.

That position of having the target on their backs is not one she has found easy to get used to but just as they are in the boat, the pair are calm out of it.

“It is certainly a new position that we have been getting used to this year and trying to lean into it, enjoy it and not panic about it, hopefully we can go out and retain it and retain it in style,” said Craig.

“We both turned up at the hotel we are staying in at the moment with the same book to read, which probably says a lot about how close we are.

“I think that is really important, especially when you are doing four-week long camps, there is always an inevitable point when we have a falling out but we know each other well enough to get it together and move on, talk it out, nothing ever lingers, nothing is ever personal.

“We know what we are doing, we have a lot of trust and we have a lot of clarity in what we do