Team GB’s Rowing Triumph at the Paris Olympics

The GB Lightweight Women’s double sculls (LW2x) really nailed it at the Paris Olympics, snagging Team GB’s second gold medal in rowing.

At the beginning of the race, the fast-paced Romanians took a quick lead, while New Zealand was also in the mix. But soon enough, the British crew showed off their impressive teamwork and pulled ahead. By the time they hit the halfway point, they had already gained a lead of almost a second over Romania, cruising along smoothly.

As they continued to push forward, they crossed the finish line nearly a length ahead of the competition. This win marked the last time lightweight rowing would be featured in the Olympics, and Imogen couldn’t have been happier. She exclaimed, “This was the only result left for us to achieve and we did it.”

Before this victorious race, the pair had faced intense pressure after coming so close to winning gold in Tokyo 2020. But since then, they have been unstoppable, grabbing two World and European titles along the way. Imogen reflected on their growth since Tokyo, saying, “This Olympics is the grand finale.”

Emily chimed in, sharing how quickly the race felt: “That was probably the quickest race of our lives and it kind of just happened in a flash.” She emphasized their dedication to their racing plan, which had become second nature over the years and led them to victory.

In the Men’s pairs (M2-), Tom and Ollie put in a fantastic effort, coming home with silver. They led for most of the race but were overtaken by Croatia’s Sinkovic brothers right at the end, just a few strokes from the finish line.

Tom said, “We had the perfect race from start to finish. We just didn’t have the perfect last three strokes.” Despite the near-miss on gold, the duo was proud of their performance, expressing a strong bond forged over the years of training and competition.

Ollie added, “It hurts a lot not to get the win, but we have a silver medal. We’re incredibly proud and happy with what we’ve achieved together.”

Earlier in the day, the Women’s pair of Rebecca and another teammate ended up finishing sixth in the B Final, placing them 12th overall. Rebecca noted, “We gave it our best shot… It was a tight race, and everyone was really going for it.”

As the sailing and rowing events wrap up, both the GB Women’s and Men’s eights are set to make their mark in Paris, having already won their heats.