Britain win Olympics rowing thriller as Dutch top table

The final of the men's eight was a tight battle between two top world teams

VAIRES-SUR-MARNE:

Britain's men's eight confirmed the nation's return as an Olympic rowing superpower by winning the regatta's blue riband event on Saturday but the Netherlands topped the medals table.

The Dutch ended with four golds, one clear of traditional powerhouse Britain, who came back strongly after failing to win a single event at the Tokyo Games.

The final of the men's eight was a tight battle between two-time reigning world champions Britain and the Netherlands.

The teams swapped the lead in the early stages and the boats were neck-and-neck at the 1,000m half-way stage.

But the British crew, who won bronze in Tokyo, stepped up a gear over the next 500m, stamping their authority on the race.

Britain crossed the line in 5min 22.88sec, with the Dutch just over a second behind, taking back the gold they last won at Rio in 2016. The USA took bronze.

"It was bitter-sweet coming out of that regatta. There were a lot of demons that were expelled during that race."

Tom Digby, who was not part of the crew in Tokyo in 2021, said there was a "new fire" among Britain's rowers after the crushing disappointment in Japan.

"The new energy of the guys coming in and the energy of the guys who had a point to prove from the results from last time," he said.

Britain and the Netherlands both finished with eight rowing medals at Vaires-sur-Marne but the Dutch topped the table by virtue of winning one more gold.

Romania dominated the women's eight final to win their first gold in the event since the 2004 Athens Games.

The champions trailed Canada at the 500m mark but then upped the pace and pulled away, winning by nearly 4.5 seconds in a time of 5:54.39.

Reigning champions Canada took silver and Britain won bronze.