Brightmore's rowing gold 'has brought peace'

Harry Brightmore says the relief of coxing Great Britain's men's eights to gold at the Paris Olympics has given him peace.

The 30-year-old from Chester came into the Games off the back of coxing the team to successive world titles in 2022 and 2023.

They won their heat with a time of 5.37.04 and then repeated the feat in the final to bring home the gold.

"For the first time in a good couple of months I woke up and my body was like 'we've got to be nervous for something today' and I had to stop and be like 'it's fine, it's all over' and I can just breathe," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"It's all done, all the stress is gone, all the nerves have gone, you don't have to worry about going to try and do it again.

"For some of us that might have been the swansong. It's just peace as we've done it."

The impact of winning gold only hit Brightmore once he had returned to the UK following a whirlwind of media commitments and celebrations in Paris.

"When I was back in St Pancras station in London, there was a lad in a suit who had been to the pub after work and was trying to get home and he did a double take on me," Brightmore added.

"He said 'you're that rowing cox that stood up in the boat'. I've never had this. I've been a world champion in the past for two years running but nobody has really cared that much.

"The Olympics is a different gravy and it feels as if it's reached so far and I don't think I have fully comprehended the widespread attraction and grasp this has had on the wider community and nation."

Harry Brightmore (centre) and his team are now European, world and Olympic champions

'I wouldn't want to tarnish our legacy'

Brightmore's gold came after a rowing career which stretched back more than 15 years.

During that time the men's eights have reached the pinnacle of the sport, with the team now holding world, European and Olympic titles.

But Brightmore is coy on his future in the sport and says he will consider leaving on a high.

"The stress going into this regatta was massive and I'm not going to say never but I do think I'll probably call it while I'm ahead," he added.

"The crew I was part of was so special and that was a once in a lifetime crew where all the cards fell on the table in the right way and we were lucky that our combination was better than anything else the world could put out.

"We were in the right place at the right time and I wouldn't want to tarnish that as that's really special."