Craig & Grant cruise to gold after men win silver

Emily Craig and Imogen Grant won Great Britain’s second rowing gold of the Paris Olympics with a commanding performance in the women’s lightweight double sculls.

They took the lead after 500m of the 2,000m race and pulled away to win by almost a length from fast-finishing Romania and Greece in third.

The victory completes a remarkable run for the duo, who have been unbeaten since missing out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics by 0.01 seconds.

They celebrated by throwing their arms into the air as they added the Olympic title to back-to-back world and European triumphs.

There were floods of tears and beaming smiles as they received their gold medals before heading off to celebrate with their friends and families in the stands.

"The tears were for all the training, early nights, parties and weddings missed, just all of it coming out at once," said Grant, who starts work as a junior doctor two days after the closing ceremony on 11 August.

"It's joy, relief, disbelief, tiredness, joy again, so much happiness and that feeling of a job well done."

Craig said she was "overwhelmed to be standing here" and proud to have "owned every stroke of the race" which took six minutes 47.06 seconds.

Their triumph came after childhood friends Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George were pipped to the gold medal in the men's pair in a dramatic finale.

Wynne-Griffith, from Wales, and George, of England, led for the majority of the race and looked set to win but Croatian brothers Martin and Valent Sinkovic charged past them in the closing 20m and won by 0.45 seconds to retain their title.

Having put in such a huge effort, the British duo's disappointment was clear to see, with Wynne-Griffith saying he got the finish wrong.

"I made a mistake on the line and that's racing for you," he said. "Olympic silver medallists... I'm so proud of what we did."

George added: "Despite the last three strokes, with a bit of hindsight we'll be incredibly proud of what we've achieved."

Britain have now won six medals including two golds in the rowing competition - four more than they won in Tokyo - with one day left.

Meanwhile, Ireland's Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan retained their Olympic lightweight men's double sculls title with a brilliant performance, crossing the line two seconds clear of silver medallists Italy with Greece taking bronze.

Tokyo heartbreak motivates Craig & Grant

Craig, 31, contemplated quitting the sport after the last Games but instead fronted up to the disappointment by hanging a photo of the Tokyo finish line on the walls of her home in Mark Cross in Sussex.

That memory - they were only 0.5 seconds from winning gold - has helped drive the world record holders through the gruelling hours of training and the many sacrifices made over the last three years.

"It's so unbelievably simple and difficult to perfect - that's why I love it and hate it in equal measure," she said of the sport.

"I want to spend the next couple of weeks hugging and thanking everyone who has helped me over the last two decades of my rowing career and then take stock."

Grant, 28, started rowing at Cambridge University after signing up to join the boat club in exchange for two free drinks during Freshers Week.

She went on to win three Boat Races and has achieved all of her international rowing success while studying to become a doctor.

Now qualified, she will have little time to celebrate before starting her foundation year in Slough but is determined to carry on competing at the highest level.

"Emily is the toughest, most incredible person I've had the pleasure to row with," said Grant. "She took me from a clueless single rower to an Olympic champion.

"She's been there every single step of the way. I kind of want to go out and do it again.

"I love this sport and am not ready to finish."

However, they will be the last lightweight doubles champions with the discipline being replaced by beach sprint rowing at Los Angeles 2028.

'We're incredibly proud'

Wynne-Griffith, 30, and George, 29, were part of the British men’s eight crew that won bronze in Tokyo.

The friends were both studying at Cambridge University and competing in the Boat Race when a coach suggested they team up as a pair.

They went unbeaten in the build-up to the Olympics this season - winning the European Championships in April - and were bidding to become the first British champions in the men's pair since Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matt Pinsent in 1996.

George praised his team-mate and said they were "clinging on" in the final 20 metres of the final.

“We're incredibly proud and we're really happy with what we've achieved with each other," said George. "Doing it with your best mate's pretty special."

Great Britain's rowing medals at Paris 2024

Gold

Women's lightweight double sculls - Emily Craig and Imogen Grant

Women's quadruple sculls - Lauren Henry, Lola Anderson, Hannah Scott and Georgina Brayshaw

Silver

Women's four - Helen Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten

Men's pair - Oliver Wynne-Griffith and Tom George

Bronze

Men's four - Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson

Women's double sculls - Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne and Becky Wilde