Katherine Grainger says she never lost faith in defending her Olympic gold medal after she was called up to Team GB’s rowing squad for Rio 2016.

The 40-year-old Scot had been left out of the initial 43 strong squad for the Games on June 9, before the announcement she would compete in the double with Vicky Thornley yesterday.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding her position, Grainger, who is a member of Marlow Rowing Club, never gave up on competing at a fifth Olympics.

“The double was never written off,” Grainger told the BBC. “We weren’t happy with where we were and there was still time to explore if there was a better option.

“I didn’t take time out, then come back, to go to a fifth Olympics and get a t-shirt. Vicky and myself both want a medal and we haven’t lowered our sights.

“There have been days when I couldn’t necessarily see a way forward and times I couldn’t see the path but I never stopped believing I could get there.”

With fewer than 50 days until the final of the women’s double, Grainger and Thornley have a limited amount of time to prepare for the tournament.

The task of doing so and winning a fifth Olympic medal in the process is one which Grainger describes as the biggest of her career.

She is nonetheless prepared to put in the work to do so and says she feels reinvigorated by the upcoming visit to Brazil.

“There’s not a lot of time left and there is nothing like Rio getting closer to sharpen the minds,” Grainger said.

“There’s a freshness and excitement because we can now concentrate on getting in the boat and trying to make it go faster.”

The elongated selection process for Rio saw Grainger pin most of her hopes on securing a place in the women’s eight after her partnership with Thornley was disbanded.

However, the team’s strong form made discussion of her inclusion a non-starter, and the manner in which British rowing has gone about selecting athletes has come under scrutiny as a result.

Thornley’s boyfriend Rick Egington, who is also an Olympic medallist, questioned the management of coach Paul Thompson.

But Grainger is eager to avoid discussion of the subject until after the Games and instead wants to focus on making the best of the opportunity she has been given.

“Right now I don’t want to waste any of these precious days thinking about what might have been done differently,” Grainger explained.

“The rest of my future can wait until the day after the Olympic final when I can put this part of my life to rest.”