KATHERINE Grainger stormed to an incredible World Cup rowing hat-trick in Lucerne at the weekend, but her Marlow team-mates Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter tasted defeat for the first time in three years.

Four-time world champion Grainger was competing in the double and quadruple sculls – and she won them both.

Her spectacular double emulated her achievements at the first World Cup in Bled, and together with her gold and silver haul in Munich means she has now collected six gold medals from the World Cup Series, including five golds.

Grainger teamed up with Anna Watkins to win the double sculls, and the pair then joined with Beth Rodford and Marlow’s Anna Vernon to win the quads.

In the doubles, they led at 1,000m and maintained their advantage to win by a length from Australia.

The quads was equally dominant as they made amends for their defeat to Germany in Munich by storming home in 6:23.50, with world champions Ukraine second and Germany third.

Grainger said: “This has been very special. It is always the biggest entry of the year in Lucerne so we knew what we had to do. We didn't quite get the rowing right in Munich and we wanted to change that here.”

However, it was not so good for Hunter and Purchase.

They admitted they were shocked to win in Germany and their fifth place finish was a reality check for the reigning Olympic champions.

They were fifth at the half-way mark, and failed to find the pace in the second part of the race to improve their position.

Meanwhile, Marlow’s Greg Searle finished with a bronze in the men’s eights.

GB Rowing Team performance director, David Tanner said: “This is our best world cup season ever. All the world was here in Lucerne so to come away with so many medals has been an exceptional whole team performance.”

For more, go to www.britishrowing.org