For much of her life, Cheltenham-born Emily Carmichael flat out refused to try her hand at rowing, opting against attempting to follow in the footsteps of her Olympic bronze medal-winning father Malcolm.

But 18 months after bowing to curiosity, the 23-year-old admits she couldn’t be happier with her U-turn, admitting emulating her father is now firmly on her radar.

Growing up, Carmichael could never quite escape the sport of rowing with her father having finished third in the coxless pairs at the 1980 Olympics, while rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave also asked her when she was younger when she was going to get into a boat.

Dressage was instead the main focus for the former Westonbirt School pupil – although with her progress slowing down, Carmichael’s mind started to drift towards giving rowing a go.

Unsurprisingly given her background, she took to it immediately and with a full season already under her belt, and an invitation to train with the famous Leander Club too, Carmichael is not looking back.

“I actually only started rowing about 18 months ago,” she said. “Everyone had always said to me that I needed to start rowing because my dad went to the Olympics and got a bronze medal in 1980, and he went to Leander."

“Steve Redgrave asked me when I was younger if I was going to start rowing and I said I didn’t want anything to do with rowing."

“I’d done dressage since I was very young, and I got as far as I could get, and it just came to that point where I said enough is enough."

“Everyone has always said that I should have a go at rowing, but I didn’t want to. But then I realised I couldn’t go through life thinking what if, and it just went from there."

“I was very lucky that I got dad’s Olympic coach to start me, and within a month, I was picked up by Jane Hall from Leander."

“I was terrified because who wouldn’t want to row out for this club, and two months later I was part of Leander Club and going on training camp with them. It has honestly just been a fairytale and I feel really lucky.”

It has already been a solid start to the season for Carmichael, who put in a series of encouraging performances at the British Rowing Championships in Nottingham earlier this month.

She won the B final of the women’s double sculls alongside Jessica Leyden before returning the following day to win bronze in the women’s quad sculls.

And Carmichael admits her father is already setting the bar high in terms of Olympic ambitions for her.

“Dad and I already have a game on that I will beat him. He doesn’t want anything less for me. So there’s no pressure at all,” she added.

“The eight was the main focus for the summer, so we raced at Henley women’s, then we went to Henley Royal Regatta."

“From that, I then got invited on an elite development camp, for two weeks just before this season started."

“It’s very exciting, you’ve got to put a good performance out there this season if you want to make Rio, to say I’m here and I’m making my claim which is exciting, and I’m ready.”

As Leander Club launched their ‘Row to Rio’ campaign Emily Carmichael of Leander’s place as the most successful rowing club in the world, with 111 Olympic medals won by its members.