Great Britain powered to a thrilling gold in the men’s eight, moments after the women’s crew won bronze on the final day of rowing at the Paris Olympics.
The men traded the lead with the Netherlands before surging ahead in the third quarter of the 2,000m race.
The Netherlands tried to fight back but the British boat rose to the challenge and won by 1.08 seconds in five minutes and 22.8 seconds.
Cox Harry Brightmore climbed to his feet and roared with delight as the team celebrated a magnificent victory.
The eight of Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charlie Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin and Tom Ford shared an emotional embrace when they finally came to shore.
“One engine, one machine,” was how Rudkin described the team’s ethos before the Games, and he was proved right as the crew added the Olympic title to their back-to-back world and European triumphs.
The successes on the final day of the rowing competition mean Britain finish with a record haul for an overseas Games of eight medals, and their best tally since London 2012, where they won nine on home water.
It has been a remarkable turnaround after Britain only managed two rowing medals in Tokyo, neither of them gold, and finished 14th in the medal table.
Here in Paris they have secured three golds, two silvers and three bronzes, and finish second in the medal table behind the Dutch, who have won the same number but four golds.
The women’s bronze is only Britain’s second in the women’s eights after their silver at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Heidi Long, Rowan McKellar, Holly Dunford, Emily Ford, Lauren Irwin, Eve Stewart, Harriet Taylor and Annie Campbell-Orde, coxed by Henry Fieldman, battled all the way to the line to finish behind champions Romania and Tokyo winners Canada.
