Three rowing medals arrive inside an epic hour for Team GB

Rowing 01 Aug 24

A medal-laden morning for Team GB’s rowers culminated with a silver and two bronze medals at Stade Nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne.

Helen Glover, Esme Booth, Rebecca Shorten and Samantha Redgrave picked up silver in the women’s four while the men’s four and women’s double sculls crews also claimed bronze inside a spectacular hour of racing.

The women’s four were beaten to gold by just 0.18 seconds as the Netherlands reversed yesterday’s dramatic finale in the women’s quad showpiece, but mother-of-three Glover believes her team could not have done any more.

“I think the thing that I've learned is the most frustrating thing is to look back and find things you could do differently,” she said.

“I think today we put it all out there, we raced the plan we wanted to race, we raced together with so much heart. You know what, there can’t be regret looking back and knowing you did all you can.

“I think no matter how we do, they are the people we go back to who love us no matter what. So it's really nice to have everyone out there and everyone who's supported us from near and far.”

A morning which saw Team GB register as many rowing medals as they did in the entirety of the Tokyo 2020 Games started with a bronze for Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Rebecca Wilde.

The pair sealed a place on the podium and maiden Olympic medals after they finishing a little over a second quicker than the Dutch in the women's double sculls final, with New Zealand piping Romania to top spot.

Hodgkins-Byrne gave birth to son Freddie last year and is the first mother to win a medal for Team GB in rowing at the Olympics while Wilde sealed a comeback from surgery on her forearms just ten months ago.

“It’s quite surreal to be honest. I knew we could do it beforehand but knowing you can do it is very different to actually being able to do it,” said Hodgkins-Byrne.

“We've seen from other races here, like anything can happen. So I said before, all I have to do is just stay in my boat. I can do that, then I could get the best out of us and that was what my aim was.”

Wilde added: “Matilda has been such a great woman to have in the bow. I have learned so much and I just know if I do my job, push as hard as I can, she will get me over the line.”

In the final rowing race of day six at Paris 2024, Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson overcame a frustrating start to secure a gutsy bronze in the men's four.

The double world champions swept past Italy 800 metres from home, with the United States taking gold and New Zealand silver.

Aldridge said: "It was incredible. I think this is probably the best races we've had all Olympic cycle. From start to finish, it's probably some of the best stuff we've done.

"We could have dreamed of getting the gold and I think we gave everything we could, but you know, hats off to the other two crews and everyone, every single crew in that final was outstanding.

"I feel incredibly lucky and fortunate that our race was good enough to get us where it was. But no, I'm immensely proud of everyone who's been part of this journey."

Sportsbeat 2024

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