unbelievable triumph for copeland

Katherine Copeland had no idea how to process the magnitude of the feat she and lightweight double sculls partner Sophie Hosking had just accomplished.

Not after nearly giving up on rowing three years ago because a move down to London had not worked.

Not after only forming the partnership with Hosking five months earlier.

In a country with as rich a rowing tradition as this, the 21-year-old from North Yorkshire could not quite believe that she had joined the Olympic roll of honour.

“It is literally unbelievable,” she said. “I wish we had known this would happen a couple of months ago when we were having such a stress. Or if I’d have known three years ago. We saw people win gold medals and I really didn’t see myself as any of those people.”

Copeland had to take a breather to compose herself between interviews and she and Hosking wept tears of joy at the medal ceremony.

“I would never have dreamed two months ago that we would have won,” said Copeland, whose family home is in Stokesley, and whose club affiliations lie firmly with Tees Rowing Club.

“Everyone goes through highs and lows. I had a low when I moved away. I thought moving to London would help my rowing.

“But I was very unhappy, I wasn’t enjoying rowing.

“So I moved back home and started to train back at Tees with James Harris and I had all my friends with me and I loved it again.

“It’s all thanks to moving back home. I only went to the British trials to see if I could do it, because if I didn’t I would have regretted it for ever.”

Copeland won those trials in March in the single sculls, the same boat in which she won a world junior title last year.

Those successes forced the Great Britain coaches into a rethink and she was elevated to the lightweight double.

She moved from the bow to the stroke after a promising start from the duo in the World Cup regattas.

That is when that special something clicked, though Copeland said: “It was only when we crossed the line that I allowed myself to think it was the Olympic final.”

Thoughts are not yet turning to the future for Copeland, who rightly intends to just enjoy being an Olympic champion.