Tokyo Olympics: Team GB men’s coxless four rowing dominance ends as they finish fourth
The blunder that sank Britain’s Olympic rowing dreams: GB men’s coxless four miss gold medal for first time in DECADES after ‘forgetting to steer’ – then lash out at their ‘really smug’ predecessors, including BBC commentator James Cracknell
Great Britain’s reign on the waters of the men’s coxless four came to a bitter end as they finished outside the medals, before they then issued an apology to Italy for scuppering their chances at winning silver.
The Team GB quartet of Sholto Carnegie, Oliver Cook, Rory Gibbs and Matthew Rossiter were among the gold-medal favourites but they finished fourth.
It ends the British dominance in this event, having won gold at every Olympics since Sydney 2000 – five in succession.
Things went bad to worse for Team GB as they steered into the Italian’s lane towards the end
As they began to lose the battle for bronze, the Brits failed to adjust their line across the water
As a result they veered into Italy’s lane – causing them to miss out on a potential silver medal
Oliver Cook, Matthew Rossiter, Rory Gibbs and Sholto Carnegie of Team Great Britain react after coming in fourth during the Men’s Four Final
The gold-medal favourites of Oliver Cook, Matthew Rossiter, Rory Gibbs and Sholto Carnegie (left-right) endured a disappointing time on the waters on day five of the Tokyo Olympics
It ends the British grip on this event – having won every men’s coxless four since Sydney 2000
Australia took gold, Romania picked up the silver and Italy took bronze – but the latter have every right to feel hard done by as the British quartet nearly crashed into them during the final stages of the race, denying them the chance of a silver or an unlikely gold.
Of the errant steering, Rossiter said: ‘We fully biffed into the Italians. They are pretty p****d off because maybe we cost them the silver and sorry to those guys.
‘It’s an outdoor sport and this stuff happens. It’s just heartbreaking when it’s you and not something on YouTube.’
Rossiter also said his illustrious predecessors will be ‘smug’ about their failure in Tokyo.
Rossiter took aim at the legends, believed principally to include James Cracknell, who won two gold medals in the country’s most famous boat in 2000 and 2004.
He said: ‘It’s just disappointing that those people will probably be really smug now that they are part of the legacy that won.’
Meanwhile, a tearful Cook took responsibility for their steering woes.
‘I do (have the steering),’ he said. ‘I need to diagnose it but I feel I screwed up a bit and as I was closing in at the end and taking big strokes at the end going for the line I forgot the steering and that’s what cost us to be honest, cost us a medal.
‘All I can say is thank you to everyone who stayed up to watch tonight and I’m really sorry we’re not coming back with something.’
Earlier, there was similar agony for the Team GB women’s four of Rowan McKellar, Harriet Taylor, Karen Bennett and Rebecca Shorten.
Team GB women’s four of Rowan McKellar, Harriet Taylor, Karen Bennett and Rebecca Shorten (left-right) also suffered the same fate as the men’s coxless four as they finished fourth
But their disappointment was joy for the Irish quartet of Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty, who won their country’s first medal of the Games by pipping the British women to bronze.
Australia claimed gold in another close finish ahead of the Netherlands.
Graeme Thomas and John Collins narrowly missed out on a medal in the final of the men’s double sculls at Sea Forest Waterway.
The British duo pushed hard to catch China in bronze medal position over the final stages in breezy conditions but were unable to close the gap.
Gold went to French double Hugo Boucheron and Matthieu Androdias by just 0.2seconds from Holland.
Graeme Thomas (left) and John Collins also finished fourth in their men’s double sculls final
