GREAT Britain rower Anna Watkins overcame injury and illness to be crowned world champion again this year.

The 28-year-old, from Longsdon, near Leek, and double sculls partner Katherine Grainger remain the team to beat ahead of next year's London Olympics.

After winning the 2010 World Championships, the duo's hopes of defending their crown appeared to be dented when Watkins suffered a back injury.

Her preparation suffered again during the World Championships in Bled, Slovenia, in August and September, when she suffered a stomach bug.

However, the British duo blazed into the final before winning gold the next day when they beat Australia by half-a-length.

"I was very proud to defend the World Championship title," said Watkins, pictured right.

"But it was almost as though we got away with it this time. We want to improve and we want to get faster for next year. We have to look at what we can do ourselves because we can't control what other countries do."

Preparation for the Olympics has started in earnest with long days of training which begin in the water at 7.30am and include hard hours in the gym.

Watkins added: "At the moment it is all about intensive weights and training to build up our power base.

"This is the bit that will count when we get to the last 500m in the Olympics."

Watkins' preparations for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 were disrupted when she was sidelined with glandular fever. However, she recovered to partner Elise Laverick to bronze.

This time she will have to deal with the weight of expectation. She and Grainger are favourites for Olympic gold, having beaten all-comers over the last two years.

As well as form, she will have friends and family on her side.

She said: "I managed to get enough tickets in the end. I've called in lots of favours.

"That means I'll have my mum, dad, sister, brother-in-law, grandparents and a good contingent from Leek cheering me on."

Anna's mum Caroline has nominated her in the Editor's Award category at The Sentinel/City of Stoke-on-Trent Sports Personality of the Year awards.

Caroline, who is a teacher at Anna's old school, Westwood College, in Leek, said she is enormously proud of her daughter.

She said: "Anna has worked very hard to get where she is.

"She is very determined, single-minded and focused as well as being down to earth."

Anna is based in Wokingham near GB Rowing's Redgrave Pinsent Lake.

However, she hasn't forgotten her North Staffordshire roots.

Mum Caroline added: "When she came up in September she went to the North Staffs Rowing club at Rudyard Lake, where she did some coaching.

"She also came into school to talk to the Year Nine children about learning skills to make the most of life. It was part of our 'Learning to Learn' lessons.

"There was a bit of a queue for autographs at break-time."