Eightsome reels as GB medal in style
GREAT BRITAIN ended the Rio 2016 rowing regatta in style yesterday as the men’s eight won gold and the corresponding women’s crew secured a maiden Olympic medal.
After winning women’s pair and men’s four gold on the penultimate day of a weather- affected competition, the Lagoa witnessed more Team GB success during the final session.
Katie Greves, Melanie Wilson, Frances Houghton, Polly Swann, Jessica Eddie, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, Karen Bennett, Zoe Lee and cox Zoe de Toledo made history by winning Britain’s first Olympic medal in the women’s eight, with a late surge snatching silver.
The celebrations had barely subsided by the time the men’s crew took to the water, producing a dominant display to see off Germany and end the final race of the regatta atop of the podium.
“I was in bits, to be honest,” Pete Reed said, having added men’s eight gold to the men’s four victories of Beijing 2008 and London 2012. “That was everything I had, everything I had.
“I am saying I and I and I here, and that’s not me. I am thinking we, we, we – the boys are amazing.
“It’s such a privilege, especially doing it with the guys who haven’t done it before.”
For Reed and Andrew Hodge, another member of the indomitable men’s four at the previous two Games, this was a third straight Olympic gold.
By contrast, it was quite the end to Paul Bennett, Scott Durant and Matt Gotrel’s debut Games, while Will Satch added to his men’s pair bronze from four years ago.
Tom Ransley, Phelan Hill and Matt Langridge upgraded on their men’s eight bronze from London, with the latter finally topping the podium at his fourth Games.
“It’s been a long time coming for me - what a way to finish,” Langridge said, after helping secure Britain’s first men’s eight gold in 16 years.
“That’s been worth the wait. Obviously, I was disappointed to miss out twice with the silver and bronze but that was worth it.”
While six of the men’s crew boasted Olympic medals heading to Brazil, Houghton was the only member of the women’s eight to have tasted success on this stage.
The 35- year- old won women’s quad silver at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, adding a further silver medal at her fifth Games.
It was a poignant occasion for Houghton after her father Robin died earlier in the year, with his flag brought to the Lagoa by her mother Andrea.
“He’s up there and I’m just glad he got a great view and will have watched a great race,” Houghton said. “That’s wonderful.
“With my dad passing away during the racing season in May, it was really hard, but it was also something that gave me great strength.
“He really helped me get through the hard times in rowing and we were really under pressure and there were lots of trials going on at the time.
“But it really, really made me know for sure that I wanted to be rowing.
“I could have walked away from it and said, ‘ No, this is more important’ but he really wanted me to be rowing.
“He passed away maybe six days before I was selected for the fifth Games. I think he knew that I had done enough.
“The girls have just been incredible. When I was rowing, it was just all about rowing and I was so lucky to have the rowing to get me through that, and my dad to get me through the rowing.”
Britain topped the rowing medals table in Rio with three golds and two silvers but still fell short of UK Sport’s minimum expectation of six podium places.