Tom James decided on a rather novel place to put his first World Championship gold medal – his sock draw.

The 27-year-old Molesey Boat Club rower was part of Great Britain’s men’s four that stroked to victory in the championship in Slovenia at the start of last month.

It added to the gold he won in the four at the Beijing Olympics three years ago and the bronze world championship medals he won in 2003 and 2007 in the men’s eight.

And while other Olympic and world champions might frame their medals and put them in pride of place on the mantelpiece – James goes for a different approach.

“It’s in the sock draw,” he revealed.

“That way, I see it every morning when I put my socks on, and burglars don’t normally check sock draws, do they?”

World Championship gold rounded off a good comeback year for former Cambridge Blue James, who took a year off from rowing after Beijing and then suffered an injury that kept him out for the whole of 2010.

“I am feeling really good,” he added.

“It’s undoubtedly been our best season we have ever had – certainly for me anyway.

“As a team, we are the strongest we have ever been and we have qualified nearly all the boats for next year.

“I am also a world champion for the first time, which is always a good feeling.

“We had two-and-a-half weeks off after the worlds and then it was straight back into it – no rest for the wicked.”