Eight medals. Three golds. One unforgettable Olympic regatta for British rowing. Paris 2024 has been special for Team GB, which put in a strong performance for the audience. If you missed any of the rowing races, don’t worry! We’ve got a full recap of how our athletes fared on the water. There were close finishes, surprising results, and some standout performances worth talking about.
Great Britain’s Rowing Medals at Paris 2024
| Event | Athletes | Medal |
| Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls | Emily Craig / Imogen Grant | Gold |
| Women’s Quadruple Sculls | Lauren Henry / Hannah Scott / Lola Anderson / Georgina Brayshaw |
Gold |
| Men’s Eight | Sholto Carnegie / Rory Gibbs / Morgan Bolding / Jacob Dawson / Charlie Elwes / Tom Digby / James Rudkin / Tom Ford / cox Harry Brightmore | Gold |
| Men’s Pair | Oliver Wynne-Griffith / Tom George | Silver |
| Women’s Four | Helen Glover / Esme Booth / Sam Redgrave / Rebecca Shorten | Silver |
| Women’s Double Sculls | Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne / Becky Wilde | Bronze |
| Men’s Four | Oli Wilkes / David Ambler / Matt Aldridge / Freddie Davidson | Bronze |
| Women’s Eight | Heidi Long / Rowan McKellar / Holly Dunford / Emily Ford / Lauren Irwin / Eve Stewart / Harriet Taylor / Annie Campbell-Orde / cox Henry Fieldman | Bronze |
Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls: Craig and Grant Secure Gold
Emily Craig and Imogen Grant won the women’s lightweight double sculls final, securing gold with a time of 6:47.06. This victory was particularly sweet for the pair, who missed out on a medal by just 0.01 seconds at Tokyo 2020.
The British duo led from start to finish, holding off a late charge from Romania (6:48.78) and Greece (6:49.28). Grant reflected on their journey, saying, “I think those tears were just an outpouring of every early night, every hard training session, every wedding and party that we’ve missed, every time stressing over a bad session, every selection pressure, every early morning, every horrendous crosswind. Just all of it, all coming out at once.”
“There was a certain inevitability about it this morning, I think we woke up this morning and looked at each other. I think we both knew that we had it in us today.” Their gold medal performance not only erased the disappointment of Tokyo but also certainly set a higher bar for future British rowers.
Women’s Quadruple Sculls: GB Team Wins by Narrow Margin
Great Britain’s women’s quadruple sculls team of Lola Anderson, Georgina Brayshaw, Hannah Scott, and Lauren Henry clinched gold in an emotional photo finish. They edged out the Netherlands by a mere 0.15 seconds, stopping the clock at 6:16.31.
The race was a nail-biter, with the Dutch leading for most of the way. Henry described the dramatic finish: “We got to 250 (metres) to go and I could sense we were coming back, so I was like, ‘guys, now, we’re going now’. And then I called it again, about 150 metres to go, I was like, ‘we can do this’.”
This victory builds on their gold at the 2023 World Championships. Brayshaw, overwhelmed by the achievement, said, “I’m just Georgie. I’m nothing special at all, but I’ve just gone and done that. It just shows that you can do anything.”
Men’s Eight: British Crew Reclaims Olympic Title
Great Britain’s men’s eight reclaimed the Olympic title they last won at Rio 2016, delivering a masterclass performance. The team, consisting of Harry Brightmore (cox), Sholto Carnegie, Rory Gibbs, Morgan Bolding, Jacob Dawson, Charles Elwes, Tom Digby, James Rudkin, and Tom Ford, crossed the line in 5:22.88.
They held off strong challenges from the Netherlands (5:23.92) and the United States (5:25.28). The race was tight from the start, with Great Britain and the Netherlands neck and neck at the first 500m checkpoint. However, a stunning next 500m saw the British team take a one-second lead, which they maintained to the finish. This victory marked Team GB’s third gold medal in rowing at Paris 2024.
Men’s Pair: Wynne-Griffith and George Take Second Place
Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George came really close to gold in the men’s pair final. They led for most of the race but were pipped at the post by Croatia’s Sinkovic brothers, who defended their Olympic title with a time of 6:23.66. The British duo finished just 0.45 seconds behind.
Wynne-Griffith took responsibility for the narrow loss, saying, “I made a mistake on the line and that’s racing for you. Olympic silver medallists, I’m so proud of what we did.” Despite the disappointment of missing out on gold, both rowers expressed pride in their achievement.
George added, “We’re incredibly proud and we’re really happy with what we’ve achieved with each other. Doing it with your best mate’s pretty special. Despite the last three strokes, with a bit of hindsight we’ll be incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.”
The British pair’s performance was a continuation of their strong form this season, having gone undefeated at events leading up to the Olympics. Their silver medal, while not the gold they aimed for, still represents a significant achievement and cements their status as one of the world’s most prominent rowing pairs.
Women’s Four: GB Team Finishes Close Second to Netherlands
Great Britain’s women’s four team of Helen Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave, and Rebecca Shorten fought hard but were edged out by the Netherlands in the final. The Dutch quartet crossed the line in 6:27.13, just 0.18 seconds ahead of the British boat.
This silver medal denied Glover a third Olympic gold but still marked an impressive comeback for the 38-year-old after retiring post-Rio 2016. The race was a back-and-forth battle, with the lead changing hands multiple times in the final 500 meters.
The British crew, who had been unbeaten in 2024 leading up to the Olympics, showed their class throughout the race. They were half a length down at the start but showed signs of clawing back the deficit at the halfway stage. In the final stretch, they were seemingly edging inches in front, but the lead swapped with each stroke before the Netherlands made a final push for gold.
Women’s Double Sculls: Hodgkins Byrne and Wilde Earn Third Place
Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Rebecca Wilde secured bronze in the women’s double sculls with a time of 6:53.22. They finished behind New Zealand’s Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors (6:50.45) and Romania’s Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis (6:50.69).
The British pair led early on, setting a high pace that put them in front at the first checkpoint. However, they couldn’t maintain their advantage against the strong finish of the Kiwis and Romanians.
Despite not winning gold, the British duo’s performance was impressive, especially considering the calibre of their competition — the Romanians were the defending Olympic champions and two-time world champions.
Men’s Four: GB Crew Secures Bronze in Competitive Field
Great Britain’s men’s four overcame a slow start to claim bronze with a time of 5:52.42. The United States took gold (5:49.03), with New Zealand securing silver (5:49.88). This bronze marked Team GB’s 20th medal at Paris 2024.
The race came down to the final strokes with the U.S. and New Zealand opposing in the last 250 meters. The British crew couldn’t match the pace of the leaders, but still managed to secure a podium finish.
Women’s Eight: British Team Rounds Out Medals with Bronze
In the final women’s rowing event of Paris 2024, Great Britain claimed another bronze, finishing in 5:59:51. They were behind gold medalists Romania (5:54:39) and silver medalists Canada (5:58:84). The British crew fought hard in a stroke-for-stroke battle with the USA for the final podium spot, ultimately edging them out in the closing meters.
This race was particularly exciting — Canada led at the 500m mark, but Romania took control by the halfway point.
Romania, with Olympic champions Simona Radis and Ancuta Bodnar in their crew, were favourites going into the race. Canada, as defending champions, also presented stiff competition. For Great Britain to secure a podium finish in this company is a significant achievement and a fitting end to their Olympic rowing campaign.
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