CHRISTCHURCH'S Matt Aldridge and the men’s four should use their demotion to fuel a tilt for gold at Paris 2024, said double Olympic champion James Cracknell.

The men’s eight and the men’s pair have taken priority over the men’s four, which Cracknell helped to two gold medals at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

The four of Aldridge, Oli Wilkes, David Ambler and Freddie Davidson were unbeaten since Tokyo until a surprise bronze medal at the last World Cup before the Olympics.

“The men’s four are reigning world champions and they won the world championships the previous year,” Cracknell, who'll be working with Eurosport and discovery+ for their Olympics rowing coverage, said.

“With priority of boats, some people have gone, ‘right we are going to prioritise the men’s four’ because in British rowing, the men’s pair and the men’s eight are the top two boats and the men’s four is the third boat. 

“New Zealand and America have prioritised their men’s four and they are going quite well last time out.

“So the four is going to have a tough time but they have won Worlds the last two years so they will be in the mix.”

Six-time world champion Cracknell has backed Great Britain to return to the top of the rowing medal table after only two medals at Tokyo 2020, and will be hoping the men’s four is one of the teams to bring home gold.

He added: “The boat I was in, we were the top ranked boat. The men’s eight at the Sydney Olympics, they also won gold and a lot of that was fuelled by anger, resentment and a bit of a chip on your shoulder. 

“You watch the Last Dance with Michael Jordan and he is the best player on the best team but he still found a way to get a bit gnarly, have a chip on his shoulder to motivate him.

“Having a chip on your shoulder isn’t necessarily about fuelling your fear, it is about using something to your benefit. 

“And it is something the men’s four can rally around and have a focal point of ‘no one believes in us’ and build that siege mentality then you can go out on top.

“It doesn’t matter that I was a part of it that boat, I just know what they have put into it and it is a really brutal sport in that it is not a career, you are doing it for six days a week and then you have a day off.

“So everything goes into it and if they row their best race and lose then you feel incredibly sorry for them but at least someone was better but if they underperform then you feel angry for them because they will be kicking themselves for the next 10 years.”

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