Oarsome Brabants takes to the water again!
Nottingham doctor Brabants decided to take a break from canoeing last year, after winning a gold medal in the K1 1000m event at the 2008 Beijing Games.
But he'll be hanging up his stethoscope for a weekend and returning to his sporting roots, to compete in the Channel Islands' most-esteemed annual rowing event.
The 32-year old, from Surrey, will row the 19 nautical mile race in a men's fours boat.
Starting just outside Dixicart Bay in Sark, Brabants and his team will travel across open water to the Paternosers Reef.
From there they will head along Jersey's north coast, towards Bonne Nuit Bay, where they will have to row around the Cheval Rock, before crossing the finish line in the quickest time possible.
The current race record is one hour, 49 minutes, 56 seconds, which was set by a Guernsey-based men's fours crew, in 2005.
Brabants' crew will have to face some tough competition, with a total of 186 competitors in 54 boats taking part this year.
The race attracts the top crews from Jersey and Guernsey as well as participants from across Europe. It's one of the few sporting events where novices can row alongside seasoned competitors
Brabants said: "I'm really looking forward to taking part in the race.
"I always enjoy new sporting challenges and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to take part in this one.
"It's given me a new sporting focus, short term, and I'm enjoying developing new skills."
Race organiser Ian Blandin said: 'We're delighted to have a sportsman of Tim's calibre rowing in the Sark to Jersey.
"Tim's crew have been training hard so it will be an exciting race and we're expecting lots of spectators to line the cliffs this year."
This isn't the first time Brabants has competed in a rowing event.
In October last year, he teamed up with Olympic sculler Alan Campbell to finish sixth in the Pairs Head Race in London.
Tim Brabants
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