Olympic rowers win more medals in Beijing
Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter won Britain's first lightweight gold medal
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Sunday, 17, Aug 2008 09:00
Britain have won another gold medal in the Olympic rowing in the men's lightweight double sculls but suffered a minor disappointment in the women's quadruple sculls.
The women's quadruple sculls had been favourites to win the gold but were narrowly beaten by China and had to settle for the silver medal.
Britain finished the regatta on a high note as the men's eight won a silver medal behind a dominant Canadian crew.
Success came early for Britain in the lightweight double sculls as Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter hit the front with 600m to go and held off the challenge of Greece and world champions Denmark.
Hunter said: "I've been dying for this day since I started rowing. The national anthem, the flag, it's a dream come true.
"We believed we could win the Olympic championships like everyone else in that field. It just comes down to man-to-man who wants it most."
In the women's quadruple sculls Katherine Grainger had to settle for her second consecutive silver medal having come second in Athens.
The British crew led at the halfway stage but the Chinese boat was closing in. Grainger, Annie Vernon, Debbie Flood and Frances Houghton upped their stroke rate and maintained their lead but in the last few hundred meters China rowed them down to win the gold.
Grainger could not hide her disappointment after the race and felt the crew should have won.
She told the BBC: "I believe if we did it again we could do it. I want to go back to the start and try again.
"We let it slip away at the end. It was 100 per cent from everyone but we didn't quite get it right."
Britain's final rowing medal came in the men's eight. The Canadian crew led from the start and never looked like losing but Britain did well to hold off America and claim the silver medal.
It was a sweet success for Alex Partridge who missed out on a gold medal in Athens n the men's coxless four when he was forced to withdraw through injury.
In total Britain won six medals at the Olympic regatta, two gold, two silver and two bronze.