THE GREIGHTEST

Men's eight gold and Heidi's bronze crown GB's historic medal haul

- MIKE WALTERS

ON Golden Pond, eight men in a boat crowned Team GB’s best regatta at an overseas Olympics – and Heidi Long fulfilled her father’s dying wish.

After the horror show of Tokyo, where Britain's rowers had only one silver, one bronze and a plethora of fourth-placed hard-luck stories to show for their efforts, Paris 2024 will always be a fabulous redemption.

Eight out of 10 British boats, or 36 out of 42 Team GB rowers, will go home with a medal three gold, two silver and three bronze.

While cox Harry Brightmore and Sholto Carnegie in the bow seat jumped to their feet and bellowed their delight after the men's eight pipped the Netherlands in a thriller, Morgan Bolding and Rory Gibbs were carried away suffering from exhaustion.

Gibbs only just made it onto the podium for the medal ceremony after being detained in the medical tent, declining the offer of a wheelchair as he considered it a "little bit pedantic".