Team GB take gold in coxless four
Saturday, 16 Aug 2008 10:44
Team GB take gold from Australia in coxless four
Britain's Olympic rowers have taken gold in the coxless four taking the medal in a nail biting comeback that saw them steal first from Australia in the last few hundred metres of the race.
Andy Triggs-Hodge, Peter Reed, Steve Williams and Tom James trailed by three-quarters of a length with 500m to go but won by a similar margin in Shunyi.
The defending Olympic champions looked to be struggling heading towards the crucial part of the race and were having to fight off Slovenia who were level with them with 500m to go.
However, the Australians began to tire and Britain upped their stroke rate to row down their opponents leaving the rest of the field in their wake.
The power from the British quartet was breathtaking and they rightly received a standing ovation from the thousands of British supporters on the riverbank.
"I don't know where that last 250m came from. I was in so much pain - I've never been in that pain in my entire life," said Hodge.
Williams, who won alongside Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell four years ago, said the effort in the closing stages was "primeval".
"That was very tough, I am absolutely delighted," said Williams.
"For the last four to five months our coach Jurgen Grobler has told us 'there's no-one who can beat you', but some days you don't feel like that.
"I didn't realise we were ahead until very close to the finish. I just had a sniff that we could do it in the last 200m. The last 10-15 strokes were phenomenal. It was beyond skill, it was just something primeval."
Recent recruit to the boat James added: "I nearly blacked out in the last 250m."
Britain have now won the coxless four event for the last three Olympics.