Mr Cracknell and his coxless four crew won gold in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games
By PA Staff & Kris Holland
BBC News, Essex
Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell will run as a Conservative candidate at the next general election.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist has been confirmed as the candidate in Colchester, where the sitting Tory MP Will Quince is standing down.
Paul Dundas, Conservative group leader at Colchester City Council, said Mr Cracknell was the “clear choice” of members.
Mr Quince had a 9,000 majority over Labour at the 2019 general election.
Mr Dundas congratulated Mr Cracknell and said that he had topped a long list of applicants for the Essex seat.
“I think he will be a fantastic candidate and a great MP for Colchester,” he said.
“He will win because he is a guy who doesn’t do losing.”
The Colchester seat had been held by the Liberal Democrats’ Bob Russell from 1997 until he lost it to Mr Quince at the 2015 general election.
Mr Cracknell and his coxless four crew won gold at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.
He has long been linked with the Conservatives and in 2014 stood to be an MEP for the party in the European elections in south-west England.
Mr Quince announced his intention to stand down as MP in June, stating he wished to spend more time with his young family.
Image source, Will Quince
Colchester MP Will Quince will not stand at the next election
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