Very different backgrounds of oarsmen heroes
THEY come from very different backgrounds, including the son of a Moroccan barber and an aristocrat.
But Britain’s men’s four came together in a spectacular show of strength and determination to win gold in Rio yesterday.
George Nash, Mohamed Sbihi, Constantine Louloudis and Alex Gregory fought hard to hold off Australia.
The 6ft 8in Sbihi, 28, said: ‘It’s an unbelievable feeling to become the first practising Muslim to row for Team GB and amazing to come away with gold.’
His Moroccan-born father, Mohammed, who runs a barber’s shop in London, has been ill and was unable to travel to Rio with his mother Jennifer, who works at Marks & Spencer. But they were watching at home on TV.
Struggling to hold back tears, Sbihi, of Kingston, said: ‘All I ever wanted to do was make my parents proud.’
Also in the boat were father-of-three Gregory, 32, who won gold at London 2012 and Nash, 26, who won bronze in the coxless pairs in London.
Nash is a former pupil at Winchester College who studied engineering at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the University Boat Club.
Making up the four was Louloudis, 24, whose mother Madeleine is the youngest daughter of the 20th Viscount Dillon and a Lady-in-Waiting to the Princess Royal. His father, who is of Greek heritage, worked in banking.
Louloudis graduated with a first in classics at Trinity College, Oxford.
Nash said: ‘It’s pretty nuts, to be honest. It’s been a seriously nervy week.
‘This morning, oh my word. I experienced the nerves that only really occur once every four years and just felt horrible. I felt weak. I didn’t want to be there. I didn’t want to do it. I had to shake myself into it and say, “No, this is why I’m doing it, this is what I’m here for”. And it’s just great to come away and finish on top.’