Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger has returned to her roots to mark the 150th anniversary of the Edinburgh club where she first took up the sport.

Britain's most successful woman Olympian was guest of honour at Edinburgh University Boat Club's celebrations at the weekend.

Dame Katherine - who completed a law degree at Edinburgh and postgraduate qualifications in Glasgow and London - had never rowed before joining the university's club in 1993.

Since then, she has become the first British woman to win five medals in five successive Olympic Games, including a gold medal at London 2012, and a silver at last year's Rio games.

This year she was named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's New Year's Honours list in recognition for outstanding services to rowing and charity.

Dame Katherine was also one of the first sports stars to be inducted into the University of Edinburgh's Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

She said: "I love coming back to Edinburgh to support the boat club. All of my best memories of the city are linked with my time spent at the club.

"It kick-started off my rowing career. Everything that's happened to me in the past 20 years as a professional athlete stems from the amazing time I had here."

Jim Aitken MBE, the University of Edinburgh's Director of Sport and Exercise, said: "Dame Katherine is an incomparable talent and it has been wonderful to have her here to mark the Boat Club's 150th anniversary.

"This weekend has been a great chance to celebrate the success of members and mark the club's fantastic progress over the last 150 years."

Also taking part in the celebrations was University of Edinburgh medical student and boat club member Polly Swann, who won a silver medal in the women's eight in Rio.

Edinburgh University Boat Club is one of the biggest sports clubs on campus with 230 members.

It is one of only a few clubs in the UK to host a high-performance programme supported by British Rowing. The programme was awarded in recognition of the club's track record in nurturing world-class rowers.

Last season, it became the first Scottish university, and only the second crew from Scotland, to win an event at the Henley Royal Regatta when the Men's Coxed Fours won the Prince Albert Challenge Cup final.