Women’s Quadruple scull presented with World Gold Medals at special ceremony

The British women’s quadruple scull tonight received their World Championships gold medals in a special ceremony at Lords Cricket Ground.

The British quartet, sponsored by Camelot, were upgraded this week to world champions – after one of the Russian crew who beat them in front of their home crowd at the 2006 Eton World Championships, sponsored by Siemens last summer, was found to have tested positive causing her crew to be stripped of their medals.

Katherine Grainger – who now has a hat-trick of world titles – and her crew-mates were tonight presented with their gold medals by FISA representative Mike Williams at the annual GB Rowing Team dinner in front of 400 team-mates, guests, sponsors and family members.

The Camelot-sponsored quartet of Katherine
Grainger, Sarah Winckless, Fran Houghton and
Debbie Flood were given a standing ovation and
also received a presentation from Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, guest of honour at the dinner, as part of a ceremony during which the national anthem was played.

"It’s been a bizarre week", said Grainger who, with her team-mates heard the news only on Monday. All four had no prior knowledge of tonight’s surprise ceremony.

"Our coach Paul Thompson just got us together in the gym at Bisham and said: ‘Congratulations, you’re world champions’ and then we got on with our training. It took a while for the news to sink in", said Grainger of how she heard the good news initially.

Grainger was also part of the quadruple scull crew, with Winckless, Houghton and Rebecca Romero, who won the world title in 2005 and she took the women’s pair world title in 2003 with Cath Bishop.

At Eton last summer, Winckless, Houghton and Grainger were particularly devastated to lose their title in front of their home crowd.

"We can’t turn back the clock and have the day again", said Winckless.  "But tonight has been something special".