The 35-year-old went back to his job as a Royal Naval officer following last year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he was part of Great Britain’s gold medal-winning men’s eight crew.

But Reed, also a member of the men’s coxless four that gold medals at Beijing 2008 and London, has revealed now intends to compete at his fourth Games.

"I have taken my time but still have the passion for the sport," Reed, who received an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list," said. 

"I obviously want to see how it goes rather than making grand statements about gunning for a fourth gold in Tokyo.

"The GB Rowing Team has a hugely dedicated and strong men’s squad and I know that, as usual, I will have to battle every stroke of the way to win a place in a significant boat."

Reed first burst onto the national scene in 2003, making the final of the coxed four at the World Under-23 Championships in Serbia’s capital Belgrade, just over a year after taking up the sport seriously at the University of the West of England.

In 2001, while serving on York-class cruiser HMS Exeter, he entered a fleet-wide Royal Navy fitness challenge on the rowing machine and posted the fastest time.

Renowned for his exceptional lung capacity, Reed went on to join the British squad in 2004 and won the 2005 Boat Race with Oxford.

He then settled into a high-achieving men’s four crew, coached by German Jürgen Gröbler, that won multiple world titles before taking gold at Beijing 2008.

At London 2012, Reed doubled his men’s four Olympic title tally in front of a home crowd at Dorney Lake.

He then added a third gold at Rio 2016, this time in a men’s eight crew that won emphatically in the last race of the Olympic Regatta on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, beating rivals Germany.

"There is no doubt that Pete is one of the most dedicated and talented rowers of his generation," Sir David Tanner, performance director for British Rowing, said.

"It goes without saying that we are delighted to welcome him back and know that he will work hard with our coaches and support team as we build towards the 2017 World Championships in late September in Sarasota, Florida."

If Reed wins a fourth Olympic gold medal at Tokyo 2020, he will join the likes of sailor Sir Ben Ainslie, distance-runner Sir Mo Farah and fellow rower Sir Matthew Pinsent in achieving the feat.

"I'm really pushing the ages of what rowers are capable of," Reed, winner of five World Championship gold medals and three silvers, told BBC Sport.