Team GB’s women’s quad boat roars back in rousing finish for stunning rowing gold

Great Britain announced their return to rowing’s summit with a stunning gold medal in the women’s quadruple sculls, pipping the Netherlands by 0.15 seconds after a breathtaking pursuit to the line.

Lola Anderson, Georgie Brayshaw, Hannah Scott and Lauren Henry came through in the most dramatic fashion conceivable, overhauling opponents who had led for the vast majority of the race. After seizing second place shortly before halfway it became a simple question of whether they could catch a Dutch crew that they had defeated in last year’s world championships. The Netherlands appeared to have done enough but the British boat, which began to eat into their advantage in the last 200m, drew level on the final stroke and victory was confirmed after a photo finish.

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The quartet celebrated disbelievingly after drawing a firm line under Great Britain’s Tokyo 2020 woes, which brought only a silver and bronze medal in the rowing events. They have been revelatory in becoming world and European champions in the past 12 months and have now taken the sport’s ultimate honour. Germany took bronze, finishing ahead of fourth-placed Switzerland.

A few minutes previously the men’s crew of Matt Haywood, Tom Barras, Callum Dixon and Graeme Thomas had been less successful against their dominant Dutch counterparts. They never quite threatened to challenge after being edged into third place around the 500m mark and an accomplished Netherlands boat, which had looked in fine nick during the heats and streaked ahead from the start, came through stylishly to retain their title.

Poland and Italy ultimately proved too strong to hold off and Barras, the sole survivor from Britain’s silver medal-winning boat in Japan three years ago, was denied a second successive podium finish.