The GB Rowing Team has named two rowers from Cornwall in its squad for the World Championships - which double as qualifying for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Helen Glover and Annabel Vernon will race at the Worlds in Bled, Slovenia, from August 28 – September 4, to qualify their boats for London next summer.

Glover, from Penzance, provides GB with a very valid medal hope in the women's pair with Heather Stanning. They broke through at the 2010 Worlds in New Zealand to take silver behind the host nation and their gold at the 2011 world cup finals in Lucerne included a victory over the Kiwis. Both have been nurtured into the sport on a fast-track through the "Start" programme, which is Siemens-backed and lottery-funded – with Glover, a PE teacher, only picking up the sport three years ago. Annie Vernon, a Beijing silver medallist, is one of five rowers named for the women’s quad alongside multiple former world champion and twice Olympic silver medallist, Fran Houghton – whose inclusion is subject to medical testing -, double Olympic silver medallist Debbie Flood, and Beth Rodford – the quad which won gold together at last year’s Worlds.

Melanie Wilson has joined this top group of scullers in 2011 and won world cup gold in the double scull in Munich with Grainger when Watkins was injured and deputised for Houghton in Lucerne, winning silver. All five have been named today in a group that will eventually race as both a quad and single in Bled.

Four of the crews from the lottery-funded squad, sponsored by Siemens, go to Bled after winning gold medals at the world cup finals in Lucerne where the GB Rowing Team also won four silvers and two bronze medals.

They are the women’s double scull and pair as well as the open and lightweight men’s fours.

“Lucerne was an excellent curtain raiser for the World Championships,” said David Tanner, the GB Rowing Team’s performance director.

“We had some great performances which we would hope to carry through as the competition steps up.”

The Olympic and Paralympic qualifying regatta in Bled enables nations to qualify boats rather than crews – allowing teams to shuffle their crews as required between now and next summer.

There will be a final chance for the GB Rowing Team, sponsored by Siemens and lottery funded, to qualify a boat in each of the 14 Olympic boat classes on 20-23 May, 2012, in Lucerne and in each of four Paralympic boat classes on 4-6 May, 2012.

Other boats may be added to the GB contingent bound for Bled in the international classes dependent on performances at the World U23 Championships in Amsterdam from July 21-24.