Olympic medal rowing star Vicky Thornley is celebrating becoming captain of one of the world's most prestigious sports clubs with a fifth straight GB Trials title.

The 30-year-old from Holt, near Wrexham, proved unstoppable again in the women's singles at the national team's Caversham lake last weekend, winning the six-boat final by more than 10 seconds.

Victory comes after the 2017 world singles silver medallist became only the second woman to lead Leander Club, whose rowers have won no less than 124 individual Olympic medals, in its 200th anniversary year.

"Great to bag my fifth consecutive GB trials win," she tweeted. "There is always some extra power in the Leander Club pink lycra. Feels like we are firmly on the way to the fun part of the season...racing!

"There is still a lot of work to do but there is now light at the end of the dark winter tunnel."

She said after winning: “I know that I was expected to win, and that means approaching the race differently. I wanted to see how well I could do, examine the technical elements, execute the race and get it right."

Leading from start to finish, Thornley moved out to a clear water lead in the second 500m to go through halfway a length up on Rio eights medallist Zoe Lee, with world U23 quads champion Lucy Glover just behind in third.

And the six-foot-four-inch North Walian, who partnered Olympic superstar Katherine Grainger to doubles silver in Rio, stormed away in the closing stages to win in seven minutes 42.39secs by five lengths from Glover, who came in just over a length up on Lee, followed by Bangor University graduate and Wales cap Alice Baatz in fourth.

Thornley's fellow North Walian, Becca Chin from Aberconway, who was fifth in the women's eight at last year's world championships in Florida, was a creditable fourth in the women's pairs in a totally scratch combination with Rowan McKellar.

World bronze medal singler Tom Barras took the men's singles, while fellow Welsh Rowing product Beccy Girling was second in the women's pairs.

Ellie Lewis was also second in women's lightweight singles, and two-time Wales Home Countries singles champion Josh Bugajski showed what Oxford missed in the Boat Race by dropping him at the last minute by finishing third in the men's pairs.

Thornley described her new role as captain of the world's oldest non-academic rowing club as "very special".

Leander Club is based on the River Thames at the historic Henley home of world rowing, and its rowers include five-time Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave.

The club opened its doors to women 20 years ago, and Thornley said of becoming its second female captain: “It’s a big honour and something I never really expected, but to have this happen in Leander’s bicentenary year is very special."

Thornley, who came to rowing in 2008 via the national Sporting Giants talent ID programme, from a showjumping and modelling background, added: “I want to help promote the number of women at Leander and make it the go-to club for all women who are looking to succeed at the highest level.

"It’s a question of helping women carry on rowing after they’ve left school or university, if they can see a clear route to progress, that will hopefully help keep more women in the sport,” she added.

“Leander is high performance, everyone wants to be the best, yet it’s very comfortable to be there – it’s got a good balance of relaxed enjoyment."