Three boats confirmed for Tokyo as GB eye medals at rowing worlds

Not one, not two, but three British boats confirmed places at next summer's Olympic Games after a thrilling day for Great Britain at the World Rowing Championships.

With no medals on the line during Thursday’s racing, it was all about sealing the quota places for Tokyo, and the women’s four, men’s four and lightweight women’s pair duly delivered.

First up it was Emily Craig and Imogen Grant in the women’s double, where a storming row saw them through safely in second, booking a spot both in the A final and for their boat at next summer’s Games.

And the theme was to continue in GB’s very next race, Matt Rossiter, Ollie Cook, Sholto Carnegie and Rory Gibbs sealing yet another second-place finish and a Tokyo place for the boat.

Rounding things off were the women’s quad, Jess Leyden, Melissa Wilson, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne completed a trio of second-places for the newly Olympic-qualified boats.

But that was not to be the end of the day’s action; there was emphatic victory for the women’s eight in their semi-final, while Sam Mottram was second in the lightweight men’s single sculls and Maddie Arlett in the women’s.