ONLY a gold will do for Gloucestershire rower Peter Reed when he takes to the Olympic stage in London in two years.

The champion of Beijing 2008 knows there is a long way to go between now and the 2012 start line.

Nailsworth's Reed, Olympic champion in the coxless four in Beijing, is confident he and partner Andy Triggs Hodge can win as a pair in London.

But first they must work out how to beat Kiwi crew Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, who have got the better of them on ten straight occasions this season.

It is no secret that British coach Jurgen Grobler is considering moving them into a four once more in time for 2012, but Reed says the pair are still improving.

"We have two years to go until the Olympics," he said.

"Right now we are focusing on beating the Kiwis and being as good as we possibly can.

"Jurgen is pushing us on in training, particularly in the winters so that we have a solid base. We are definitely on the up and building everything as we go, trying to get personal bests in everything.

"I still don't think I'm as good as I can possibly be yet, which is a very nice feeling.

"We want to be in the middle of the podium at the Olympic Games, that's what it's all about. That's the real pressure and the real standard around our sport. We've got a lot to do and we're doing it."

Reed admits he has dreamed about competing in a home Olympics and will draw on the experience of Beijing in the build-up.

"I've thought quite a lot about what it will be like to sit on the starting line, but as this year gets out of the way and we start to focus on Olympic qualification year it will ramp up even more.

"Then in 2012 it will be on our minds all the time. In the last couple of months beforehand you start dreaming about it and the week before you can barely sleep – it occupies everything.

"That's your mission and time stops. It's a really exciting path."

Zac Purchase, from Bushley near Tewkesbury, and partner Mark Hunter have work to do after finishing fifth in the lightweight double sculls at the latest World Cup regatta in Lucerne.

But that does not change Purchase's ambition.

He said: "When it comes round to racing in London the only thing I want to do is win a gold medal. I'm not really thinking about it too much at the moment because we have loads of rowing to do.

"We have six World Cups and two World Championships between now and then.

"We have to get those right before we look to qualify. We have to get the racing right, the training right and only then will we be in a position where we can go and win that gold medal."