Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell has been chosen as the Tory candidate for Colchester in the next general election.

The Conservatives have a majority of 9,000 over Labour and local party chiefs said he was the right choice to take over from MP Will Quince, who’s standing down.

“James was the clear choice of members,” said Paul Dundas, Conservative leader in the Essex town.

“I think he will be a fantastic candidate and a great MP for Colchester. He will win because he is a guy who doesn’t do losing.”

Cracknell won gold in the coxless fours at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and rowed alongside the likes of fellow Britons Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent.

The 51-year-old has previously been mentioned as a potential Conservative candidate and in 2014 stood to be an MEP for the party in southwest England.

Cracknell is a regular on TV, presenting sports and undertaking various endurance challenges for charity – often alongside his friend Ben Fogle.

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In 2010, he suffered a serious brain injury when he was knocked off his bike in America – an incident that changed his personality and gave him epilepsy.

Cracknell also made a remarkable return to rowing in 2019, when at age 46 he won the university boat race with Cambridge.

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