Double Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover begins her quest for a fourth Olympics in the women's four ©Getty Images

Double Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover is set to return to competition for the first time since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at the European Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia.

Glover won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016 with Heather Stanning in the women’s pair but now races in the British four.

In the men’s double sculls, world and Olympic champions from France Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias are expected to start their preparations for an Olympics on home water in style.

Aleix García Pujolar and Rodrigo Conde, who won World Championship silver for Spain last year, are also expected to mount a strong challenge.

Melvin Twellar of the Netherlands won European gold last year in Munich in the single sculls but teams up again with his fellow Olympic silver medallist Stefan Broenink in what should be a mouthwatering contest.

Melvin Twellar reverts to the double sculls this year after his European gold in singles in Munich ©Getty Images
Melvin Twellar reverts to the double sculls this year after his European gold in singles in Munich ©Getty Images

The coxless pairs are expected to include Croatian brothers Martin and Valent Sinkovic, who won Olympic gold in Tokyo and also recorded a victory In the Zagreb World Cup.

Marius Cozmiuc, who won silver in Tokyo, partners fellow Romanian Sergiu Bejan, with whom he won World Championship gold last year.

Denmark’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallists Frederic Vystavel and Joachim Sutton returned to the water with bronze at the World Cup in Zagreb.

In the women’s pair, Romania’s Ioana Vrinceanu and Denisa Tilvescu took gold at last year’s European Championships.

This year Vrincineau will be partnered by Roxana Anghel.

The women’s double sculls is expected to feature Austrian sisters Katharina and Magdalena Lobnig, who experienced the disappointment of fourth at last year’s World Championships.

They will renew battle with the Swiss crew Fabienne Schweizer and Lisa Loetscher who beat them in the World Cup earlier this month.

Meanwhile the women’s single sculls world champion Karolien Florijn of the Netherlands is also set to start the defence of her European title on the first morning.

Competition begins with Para rowing, and is set to feature women's singles world and Paralympic champion Birgit Skarstein of Norway in the first heat.

In the mixed pairs Ukraine’s world champion crew Laroslav Koiuda and Svitlana Bohuslavska are set to be in action on the first morning.

The Championships feature over 560 rowers from 33 nations in competition, which runs over four days in 21 classes.

Finals are scheduled for Saturday (May 27) and Sunday (May 28).