Rowers bag GB's first gold

  • Last Updated: August 1 2012, 20:09 BST

Great Britain celebrated their first gold medal of the London Olympic Games after Helen Glover and Heather Stanning stormed to victory in the final of the women's pair.

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  • Olympic glory for Glover and Stanning
  • The British pair surged to the front from the very start 
  • And their victory never looked in doubt 

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Glover and Stanning destroyed the field, winning by more than a length to make history at Eton Dorney as the first British female rowers to be crowned Olympic champions.

Australia pipped world champions New Zealand to win silver but neither crew was able to live with the blistering pace set by the British pair.

Glover and Stanning punched the air as they crossed the line and embraced in the boat after winning gold in sensational fashion at their first Olympic Games.

Victory for Glover and Stanning completed a remarkable unbeaten season for the British pair, who came into the Olympics as favourites after winning gold all three World Cup regattas.

That dominance was fuelled by the pain of being beaten into silver by New Zealand at the 2011 world championships by just eight hundredths of a second.

  • Helen Glover and Heather Stanning became Team GB's first gold medal winners in the women's pair at Dorney Lake.
  • Glover and Stanning are the first British women rowers to win gold medals.
  • Soon after, the men's eight rowed their way to bronze behind Germany and Canada.
  • Jack Oliver set a new personal best in the men's 77kg weightlifting.
  • Georgina Geikie failed to progress in the 25m air pistol.
  • Emma Pooley finished sixth in the women's cycling time trial at Hampton Court.
  • Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins pushing hard in the men's time-trial.
  • Wiggins won his fourth Olympic gold by a margin of 42 seconds.
  • Wiggins flanked by silver medallist Tony Martin with Team GB's Chris Froome claiming bronze.
  • Amy Oliver knocked world number one Deepika Kumari out of the women's archery competition before herself departing.
  • Ashley Jackson scored a late equaliser as Great Britain's men's hockey team drew 2-2 with South Africa.
  • Andy Murray lost the first set to Marcos Baghdatis but fought back to earn a place in the men's singles quarter-finals.
  • Great Britain's women's basketball team lost 61-67 to European champions Russia
  • Scottish swimmer Michael Jamieson brought further medal glory for Great Britain when he won silver in the 200m breaststroke.
  • Hull boxer Luke Campbell moved a step closer to a medal with a hard-fought victory in the bantamweight class.
  • Daniel Sturridge is mobbed after scoring the only goal of the game against Uruguay, sending GB through to the last eight.
Images of British athletes in action at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Wednesday August 1.

Glover and Stanning underlined their gold medal credentials by setting a new Olympic best time to win their heat on the opening day of the regatta, demolishing the previous mark by over four seconds.

They were cheered on to gold medal glory by Princess Anne, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

The British pair made a blistering start and they sprinted into a clear water lead over the Kiwis by the 500 metre time-check, an advantage they held through to half-way mark.

When Glover and Stanning hit the wall of sound generated by 26,000 supporters in the grandstands, they extended their lead to two lengths

Stanning told BBC1: "I'm absolutely shattered and absolutely ecstatic all at the same time.

"I want to collapse but I'm just so overjoyed, I just want to jump around at the same time. I'm probably talking rubbish now."

She felt the race went exactly to plan. "We could see from all the races we've done this season, we've got out ahead and stayed there and tried to push on the margin," she said. "That's exactly what we tried to do today."

"We wanted to keep the same margin we've had in all the World Cups."

Glover appeared to be smiling in the last quarter of the race, but she said: "It was probably a grimace. I don't remember smiling because I remember never ever ever thinking we've got this."

She added that she hoped the performance would inspire others.

"If I can do it, just take the chance - not just rowing, anything," she said. "If you work hard, and try your best absolutely anyone can do anything."

Australia and New Zealand closed the gap in the final quarter of the race but they were only battling for silver as Glover and Stanning cruised to the finish line - and their place in British and Olympic rowing history.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson told Press Association Sport: "It is an absolutely fantastic result. First home gold and the first ever female rowing gold medal, so two pieces of Olympic history and a really great race.

Asked if it was the start of a British gold rush, he said: "I hope so."

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "Helen Glover and Heather Stanning's historic triumph will be celebrated throughout the country today.

"Not only have they achieved the first gold medal for Great Britain at London's Games, they have bagged the first ever rowing medal for Team GB's women at an Olympic Games.

"It's an outstanding achievement and I'm sure it will spur on all our athletes in the medal stakes. It's fantastic - Go Team GB!"