Zac Purchase, from Wallingford, and Mark Hunter set new standards in being crowned 2010 world champions in the lightweight double – and they are determined to raise the bar again.

The reigning Olympic champions made a victorious return to action after a year out, winning gold at Lake Karapiro in New Zealand in commanding fashion.

Purchase and Hunter have come through a winter of training and testing ready to hammer home that advantage in 2011, starting at this weekend’s opening World Cup regatta in Munich.

“I think the whole world knows that we are a very, very accomplished crew and very, very skilled at rowing together,” said Purchase.

“It will be really interesting to see where we are this year when we get to Munich and then to see how the other crews have prepared over the winter. I am really looking forward to racing.

“The difficult thing we are going to face in the next 16 months until the Olympics is maintaining that really high standard.

“Not just as a squad, but as an individual athlete within that squad, making sure each boat performs to the absolute best of its ability come the Olympics in 2012.”

It now seems inconceivable that Purchase and Hunter will not defend their Olympic title at London 2012.

“I think Mark and I have a certain synergy to our sculling styles,” said Purchase.