Rio 2016: Andrew Triggs Hodge, Paul Bennett and Tom Ransley claim belated gold as eight sign off on top

Great Britain ended the Rio 2016 rowing regatta in style as the men's eight won gold and the corresponding women's crew secured a maiden Olympic medal.
Great Britain's Scott Durant, Tom Ransley, Matt Gotrel, Paul Bennett, Matt Langridge, William Satch, cox Phelan Hill, Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed celebrate with their Gold Medals in the Men's Eight final on the eighth day of the Rio Olympics Games, Brazil.Great Britain's Scott Durant, Tom Ransley, Matt Gotrel, Paul Bennett, Matt Langridge, William Satch, cox Phelan Hill, Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed celebrate with their Gold Medals in the Men's Eight final on the eighth day of the Rio Olympics Games, Brazil.
Great Britain's Scott Durant, Tom Ransley, Matt Gotrel, Paul Bennett, Matt Langridge, William Satch, cox Phelan Hill, Andrew Triggs Hodge and Pete Reed celebrate with their Gold Medals in the Men's Eight final on the eighth day of the Rio Olympics Games, Brazil.

After winning women’s pair and men’s four gold on the penultimate day of a weather-affected competition, the Lagoa witnessed more Team GB success during the final session.

Katie Greves, Melanie Wilson, Frances Houghton, Polly Swann, Jessica Eddie, Olivia Carnegie-Brown, Karen Bennett, Richmond’s Zoe Lee and cox Zoe de Toledo made history by winning Britain’s first Olympic medal in the women’s eight, with a late surge snatching silver.

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The celebrations had barely subsided by the time the men’s crew took to the water, producing a dominant display to see off Germany and end the final race of the regatta atop of the podium.

Three of those have Yorkshire close to their hearts. Hebden-raised Andrew Triggs Hodge led from the front to claim a third Olympic gold, his first in the eight having won the Olympic title in the men’s four in Beijing and London.

York University graduate Tom Ransley celebrated gold after being dejected four years ago when the men’s eight went all out for victory and ended up with bronze. And Leeds’s Paul Bennett was also part of the eight in Rio, marking his first Olympics with a gold medal.

“I was in bits, to be honest,” Pete Reed said, having added men’s eight gold to the men’s four victories he enjoyed alongside Hodge. “That was everything I had, everything I had. I am saying I and I and I here, and that’s not me. I am thinking we, we , we – the boys are amazing.

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“It’s such a privilege, especially doing it with the guys who haven’t done it before.”

It was quite the end to Bennett, Scott Durant and Matt Gotrel’s debut Games, while Will Satch added to his men’s pair bronze from four years ago.

Ransley, Phelan Hill and Matt Langridge upgraded on their men’s eight bronze from London, with the latter finally topping the podium at his fourth Games.

“It’s been a long time coming for me – what a way to finish,” he said.

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