West Mersea’s Saskia Clark has been picked to take part in an Olympic Test Event in Rio.

Clark, along with helm Hannah Mills, have been named in British Sailing team’s squad for this summer’s event on Guanabara Bay.

Clark and Mills, who won gold at the Sailing World Cup in Weymouth last weekend, will compete in the Women’s 470 Class at the Aquece Rio International Regatta, in August.

It is sailing’s second official Test event, with 15 British sailors competing against their international rivals across ten Olympic classes at the 2016 venue.

With just one boat per nation, per class permitted to enter, the regatta replicates Olympic-style racing at the Games venue.

It is seen as a crucial opportunity to expand the knowledge and preparation, ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.

RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park said: “With just over a year to go to the Rio 2016 Games, the British Sailing Team, like many other teams, is really starting to focus on who the key contenders are likely to be in the hunt for Olympic medals next year.

“The 2015 Rio Test Event is an important marker in that journey towards the Games.

“It provides a valuable opportunity to experience quality racing on the Olympic waters, in the Olympic format, and allows the wider team the chance to build their understanding of the key performance factors in what is a challenging venue both on and off the water.

“For the British Sailing Team it’s about building on our collective experiences of the venue so far but also providing the sailors with the best platform and support possible to allow them to perform at their best and gain confidence that they can deliver results in that challenging environment.

“We’re in a good place as a team but there’s no doubt there’s a lot of hard work still to go towards Rio 2016 and our sailors are going to have to keep pushing every single day.”