London 2012 Day 8: Best Olympic regatta of all time for GB

Britain closed out the 2012 Olympic regatta with two golds and a silver on the final day of racing to bring their overall tally to four golds, two silvers and three bronzes – a best ever.

The previous benchmark was set as far back as 1908 with eight medals of which four were gold.

28 rowers in nine boat classes have won medals this week and all 47 rowers reached the Olympic finals in front of record crowds at Eton-Dorney.

‘We have had a fabulous campaign,” said GB Rowing Team Performance Director David Tanner. “To get four golds, two silvers and three bronzes is something special for a modern Olympic regatta.

“I’m proud too of our 13 A-finalist boats but the thrill has been our medals. Every boat has fought so hard. I give absolute credit to our rowers, our coaching staff and team support. We are a team and we work as a team. Together we have been so strong and so much stronger than any other nation, which is a source of great pride and pleasure.”

After a week in which GB had already won gold in the women’s double scull and pair, silver in the lightweight men’s four and three bronzes from the men’s single scull, men’s pair and men’s eight, the men’s four – of Andrew Triggs Hodge, Tom James, Peter Reed and Alex Gregory – set this morning’s race programme alight with a towering performance against arch-rivals Australia to take gold with the USA in third.

“We have just executed a masterpiece”, said Hodge. “It took us four years to perfect that.”

Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking added a fairytale second gold in the lightweight women’s double scull. Copeland seemed shell-shocked at their success, beating the World Champions from Greece in the process.

“I tried to treat it like any other race at Dorney, as though it was the Trials or something,” said Copeland. “It was only when we crossed the line that I realised it was actually the Olympic Games.”

Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase’s defence of their title was at first stalled by a seat malfunction which caused the race to be re-started and then by a Danish crew who proved too hot to handle on the day.

Leading in the final 500m, Hunter and Purchase’s grip on the title only faded in the final 50m.

Hunter said: “Losing our Olympic title hurts incredibly. We have had such great support here from the crowd and the best support team in the world. We feel we let everyone down today by not winning. We gave everything we could. We raced as we wanted to, these guys (the Danes) were just quicker than us today.”

The British squad has added to its already rich history at these Games. A GB men’s quadruple scull reached the final for the first time; Britain won a men’s single scull medal for the first time since 1928; the GB women won their first Olympic gold – and then added two more; the men’s four made it four successive golds; and GB topped the medal table for the sport for the second successive Games.

Young rowers like Copeland, Will Satch, George Nash, Mohamed Sbihi, James Foad, Tom Ransley, Constantine Louloudis and others were amongst the medallists, showing that the sport has a strong base going forward to Rio.

The crowds attending the rowing created an electric atmosphere and the British rowers responded in a remarkable way to the their support.

“We will never live this moment again,” said Katherine Grainger after winning gold at the fourth attempt. “It is so, so special.”

Watkins added: “It felt like the crowd were in front of you and around you and behind you. It was like racing in a stadium. It was addictive and exciting.”

Triggs Hodge said: “Everyone has contributed to our success – every single person here as well as our families, our friends, our support teams.”

Tanner added: “We could not, of course, have achieved what we have done without the significant support we receive from the lottery and from our sponsors.”

EDITORS’ NOTES

The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its mission is to transform British lives through the power of the Olympic values and the success of Team GB. The BOA’s role is to prepare the ‘Best of British’ athletes for, and lead them at, the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games.

The BOA delivers extensive support services to Britain’s Olympic athletes and their National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values and brand in the UK. The BOA receives no funding from the lottery or government, has no political interests and is completely dependent upon fundraising income to achieve its mission. The BOA is the strong, independent voice for British Olympic Sport.

Team GB website: www.teamgb.com
Team GB Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeamGB
Team GB Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamGB

British Rowing is the governing body for all rowing within the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

The GB Rowing Team trains, prepares and selects crews to represent Great Britain in international competitions at junior, U23 and senior level, from Under 16s to World Cups, World Championships the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.

The GB Rowing Team has a proud history as one of GB’s most successful Olympic sports producing World and Olympic Champions from across the UK.

GB Rowing Team website: https://www.britishrowing.org/gb-rowing-team
GB Rowing Team Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gbrowingteam
GB Rowing Team Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gbrowingteam

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