Lola Anderson, the British rower, fought back tears as she expressed her pride in honoring her late father’s belief in her abilities on a remarkable Wednesday in Paris, where Team GB celebrated winning five more Olympic medals, including two golds.
Great Britain soared to the fifth spot in the medal standings, trailing behind China, Japan, France, and Australia, while outpacing South Korea and the USA, thanks to the gold medal achievements of Anderson, Hannah Scott, Lauren Henry, and Georgie Brayshaw in the women’s quadruple sculls, along with Alex Yee in the men’s triathlon.
Additionally, a silver was achieved in men’s BMX freestyle, with bronze medals coming from the women’s synchronized diving and triathlon, alongside impressive performances by Joe Fraser and Jake Jarman in the men’s all-around final of the artistic gymnastics at the Bercy Arena.
The British gymnasts, while missing out on medals, kept competitive alongside eventual winner Shinnosuke Oka from Japan, as well as the Chinese silver and bronze medallists, Zhang Boheng and Xiao Ruoteng.
Anderson’s gold was secured through a thrilling last-stroke photo-finish victory for the women’s sculls crew against the Netherlands. This triumph is viewed as a turning point for British rowing after a challenging Games in Tokyo, where they had not secured a single gold medal for the first time since 1980.
As Anderson celebrated alongside her teammates at the Vaires-sur-Marne nautical stadium, she mentioned that the medal would sit alongside a piece of paper her father had given her shortly before his passing, making it one of her most cherished items.
At the age of 14, Anderson was inspired while watching Helen Glover and Heather Stanning’s rowing victory in the women’s pair at the London 2012 Games, prompting her to make a brief diary entry.
“My name is Lola Anderson and I believe it would be my greatest dream to compete in the Olympics in rowing and, if possible, win a gold for GB,” she penned.
Anderson eventually discarded the diary entry, but her father, Don, who had rowed at university, returned it to her two months before he succumbed to cancer in 2019.
“I discarded that because I didn’t believe,” reflected the 26-year-old on Wednesday. “I was only 14, so why would I believe it? My dad recognized the potential in me before I did. However, I wouldn’t have realized this potential without my teammates who crossed the finish line with me today. I owe so much to everyone who has supported me, and he would be so proud if he were here.”
The last-minute triumph of the women’s rowing team was matched by Alex Yee’s dramatic performance, who seemed to tire in the final kilometre of the triathlon but found an unexpected burst of energy to surpass New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde and seize gold. The two athletes collapsed together at the finish line, embracing one another.
When queried about what motivated his sudden surge in the race’s concluding stretch, Yee remarked: “I honestly don’t know. I was struggling significantly during that phase. I just rode the wave and thought I’d make one last push to see if I could do it. I didn’t give up.
“Before two laps, I considered silver a realistic goal. I owed it to myself to give it one last shot, and with about 2k left, I decided to put everything into it. I’m incredibly proud to have achieved this for my family and for everyone who has put in the hard work, especially for my girlfriend Liv. Many more individuals worked toward this than just me. I’m fortunate to be the one who gets to experience it.
“I kept telling myself: ‘Anything can happen.’ I’m just an ordinary guy who puts in effort towards my sport and enjoys what I do. Being in this position is incredible, and I truly believed I could do it.”
Earlier on that Wednesday, Beth Potter earned a bronze medal as large crowds along the Seine cheered for the home athlete Cassandre Beaugrand, who captured gold in the women’s triathlon, while Swiss athlete Julie Derron took silver.
after newsletter promotion
“I am just so thrilled,” Potter expressed, having transitioned to triathlon after finishing 34th for Team GB in the 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympics. “I aimed for gold, but Cassandre and Julie were exceptional. In just eight years, I’ve come so far.”
At the cycling venue in La Concorde, Kieran Reilly believed he had done enough to stand atop the podium in the men’s BMX freestyle final but narrowly lost to José Torres Gil, who claimed Argentina’s inaugural medal of the Games.
Reilly commented on his silver medal: “I felt proud of whatever would be displayed on that board. Regardless of my score, I was going to be satisfied.
“I thought it may have been sufficient for gold, but it wasn’t. Nonetheless, I’m equally content knowing I performed to my utmost and will watch it back tomorrow, feeling proud of all the effort I put in.”
In a thrilling final at the synchronized 10m platform in the aquatics centre in Saint-Denis, a bronze for Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and her diving partner Lois Toulson was secured with a dramatic concluding dive, propelling them onto the podium after an earlier disappointing score on their third dive.
This achievement was complemented by their teammates Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen, whose bronze on the opening day in the synchronized 3m springboard marked the first diving medal for British women since 1960.
Spendolini-Sirieix, whose father Fred Sirieix of the TV show First Dates was present by the pool, stated: “It was incredibly tense for us. Initially, we refrained from looking at the scoreboard, so we had no idea how close it was. Our back twist is our strongest dive, and we just aimed to perform it well, regardless of the outcome.
“Following the third dive, I felt more disappointment than worry because I knew we had the ability to recover. I gave it my all and released everything. Having family [present] and sharing this experience with Lois makes it all the sweeter. I eagerly anticipate celebrating with them.”
Team GB now boasts a total of 17 medals, comprising six gold, six silver, and five bronze. UK Sport announced that a significant milestone was achieved with 300 women winning their first medal at a summer Games since the National Lottery funding revitalized Britain’s Olympic team in 1997.
