WORCESTER'S Kirsty Hickling will be looking to test herself against the nation's best at the AXA PPP healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on Thursday, November 21.

Hickling will line up alongside Olympic champions past and present plus thousands of weekend and amateur rowers aged from 10 to 90 to pit her fitness and determination against Concept 2's Indoor Rower over the Olympic Regatta distance.

The race will be the first competitive event after the Athens Olympics and will mark a triumphant first outing in the UK for many of the British Olympic team. It will also be the first chance to see the green shoots of the Beijing 2008 squad begin to blossom.

Racing in the women's 35-39 category, Hickling has been in regular training for the event which will mark her debut appearance at the championships.

"I try to fit in an hour of exercise five or six times a week," said Hickling. "I do aerobics, body pump classes, play badminton and train in the gym. My training will hopefully help me get a good time at the event."

As ever, the championship is set to attract a massive cross-section of competitors, from a huge variety of sports and backgrounds as the country's most talented and enthusiastic indoor rowers gather.

The races are over a gruelling 2,000 metres in both men's and women's lightweight and heavyweight categories.