Katherine Grainger hopes damehood can inspire further British rowing success

Katherine Grainger won silver in Rio to take her Olympic medal tally to five

Katherine Grainger hopes to inspire the next generation of British rowing after being made a dame in the New Year Honours.

Grainger returned to rowing after retiring from the sport in the wake of her gold medal success alongside Anna Watkins at London 2012.

She teamed up with Vicky Thornley in Rio and they brought home a silver in the double sculls, with Grainger's medal taking her to five - an Olympic Games record for a British woman.

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Grainger is now hoping to retain some involvement in rowing as well expand on her charity work at home and overseas.

"As long as a career as I have had now, which is longer than most and longer than I expected to, it is still sad that it is the end of an era, it is still sad to walk away. Sport will always be a massive part of my life," she said.

"I am very proud of where rowing is now, and where Olympic sport is now. We (Team GB) just keep getting better and better on each cycle. You still want to be part of that, I don't want to walk away and turn my back on it at all.

Grainger (R) and partner Vicky Thornley finished second in the women's double sculls final

"I learned so much and it would be nice to use that in some way.

"I don't know what role that would be, but I will certainly always have sport as part of my life - it is just part of my DNA now and I want to be able to again use my experience and knowledge in some way to help others now.

"Although I have done a lot in my own sport and achieved a lot, hopefully been an inspiration in that way, the road doesn't end there.

Grainger (front) and Thornley had been a late selection for Team GB's squad

"It is almost like a new road opens up and there are still opportunities to inspire and change for good, that is what the challenge is next and that is really exciting."

Grainger also admitted it will take some time to get used to her latest honour, which comes at the end of a near 20-year career that also saw her win six World Championship gold medals across coxless pairs, quadruple and double sculls disciplines.

"As an athlete you have such clear objectives and goals which are very obvious that you are trying to achieve and you can get ranked in terms of success or failure in a very objective way, that is what you are used to.

Four years earlier, Grainger (L) had won double sculls gold with Anna Watkins in London

"Then there is something like this, which is something you can never really aim for or find your way to get, so it takes quite a while to get used to.

"I feel hugely privileged that mine has been very much a team sport, all my great successes and bitter disappointments have been with an amazing group of people as well.

"It is lovely that this (honour) in a way reflects the efforts which everyone has put in, team-mates, colleagues, crew mates and coaches. I think it is something which none of us (athletes) ever expects or sets out to try to achieve."