The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and Opinionshttp://gty.im/588671304
Team Great Britain claimed its eighth gold medal in the men’s rowing while the women won silver in their event.
Team GB’s men’s eight won gold in their race, leading throughout and winning comprehensively ahead of Germany and the Netherlands, finishing first after a time of five minute 29.63 seconds.
They lit up the competition by winning by more than a second ahead of European Champions Germany with the Netherlands further adrift.
This gold medal adds to the gold the Team GB crew won in the same event at the 2015 World Championships, while also marking the first time Great Britain have won the men’s eight Olympic Gold since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“I can’t put it into words. We’ve never been so ready. They’re an amazing bunch of guys, that was a big,big race,” three time Olympic gold medallist, Pete Reed told BBC Sport.
Team GB’s women’s eight beat third-placed Romania by 0.12 seconds finishing in a time of 6 minutes and 3.98 seconds.
In the final, Britain started terribly and trailed everyone being last at the halfway mark. Though, as they upped their tempo and stroke rate in the second half of the race, they began to move past their opponents and ultimately ended with a second-placed finish.
The bad start didn’t fluster the Team GB crew and they were always in a good position to move through the field as Polly Swann told later on.
“At 500m to go I thought we were going to win,” she said.
“I believed with every stroke we had what it took. It does not take away from this silver, it is incredible.”
Reigning Olympic champions US won the gold medal adding to the ones they won at Beijing and London.
The silver and gold Great Britain’s rowers won on the last day of the rowing programme means GB top the rowing medals table, finishing on five medals – three gold and two silver.
