Rio 2016: Team GB win TWO Olympic rowing golds within minutes, medal haul up to 20
ALEX GREGORY has revealed that the British men’s four were driven to Olympic gold by a fear of letting the country down.
Stanning and Glover (right) won gold in the rowing before the Men's Four triumphed in their race
Within the space of 20 minutes, Helen Glover and Heather Stanning retained the Olympic women’s pair title and then the British quartet of bow Gregory, Mo Sbihi, George Nash and Constantine Louloudis became Olympic champions in the men’s four.
Britain have won the men’s four title at every Olympics since 2000, maintaining a legacy started by Sir Steven Redgrave, Sir Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell.
Gregory said: “We felt the feel pressure. I didn’t want to let this record go.
EVERY MEDAL TEAM GB HAS WON AT THE RIO 2016 OLYMPICS SO FAR
Alex Gregory, Mohamed Sbihi, George Nash and Constatine Louloudis with their medals
The Men's Four eased into the final yesterday
Glover and Stanning finished more than a second ahead of New Zealand
This was Team GB's fifth gold at Rio
“I didn’t want to have to look Redgrave or Pinsent in the eye. I didn’t want to have to listen to the TV commentary of Garry Herbert and Cracknell.
“Their voices were going through my mind during the warm up. ‘Oh my goodness, the British aren’t going to do it’.
“You have to snap out of it as soon as those thoughts creep in. But it was always there. It was definitely there and it was a worry.
“Crossing the line, well relief is the overwhelming emotion. Relief that this day is over, this week is over, this year is over. Relief that it all paid off. It was our perfect race I wouldn’t change a stroke in that race.”
Dressage and trampolining silvers
Later in the day Britain won team dressage silver and moments later Bryony Page also claimed silver in the trampolining.