It began with a razor-thin miss, moved on to a memorable photograph, and ended with emotional moments at a medal ceremony. For Emily Craig and Imogen Grant, this marked the pinnacle of redemption. In the final edition of the women’s lightweight double sculls, Team GB clinched gold, securing their legacy as champions forever. Quite an impressive claim to fame.
A mere 0.01 seconds had kept Craig and Grant from medaling in Tokyo three years prior. Craig hung an image of that heartbreaking near-miss on her living room wall, reflecting what seems like a form of sporting masochism. However, in France, Team GB took control of their race from the start. Time for a redecoration. “I think I’ll just frame this one,” Craig remarked, holding her gold medal. Overcome with emotion on the podium, she said, “Every time I thought about that moment, it brought me to tears. I had to avoid thinking about it for a long time.”
The way Craig and Grant responded to their experiences in Japan should serve as a valuable lesson in resilience. Before this, they were on an astonishing 23-race unbeaten streak, but this was the one they truly coveted. “That put pressure on us, but it also instilled confidence,” Craig noted. “We knew we could go out there and replicate what we had achieved multiple times before. It wasn’t about pulling a miracle out of nowhere.”
Grant is set to start work as a foundation-level doctor in Slough just two days after the closing ceremony. The future of rowing for both athletes remains uncertain, in part due to the removal of this discipline from the Olympic program and also because they wish to take a step back and think bigger. Craig expressed the need to “find value beyond rowing” during the gap between Tokyo and Paris.
“Not every Olympian gets it right on their first attempt,” Grant remarked. “We have worked incredibly hard, and we’ve become different, better people this time. There was an inevitability about today; we knew we could achieve it.”
“After Tokyo, we emerged as better individuals because we took a break and gained some perspective. I think there’s no reason not to do that once more.”
Yet, it would be a shame if they stepped away from the sport after such an outstanding achievement. According to Team GB’s biography, Grant’s “journey in rowing began” when she signed up for a taster session in exchange for two complimentary drinks during freshers’ week at Cambridge. Quite the bargain turned monumental.
Romania secured silver, finishing over a second behind Team GB’s time of 6:47:06, followed by Greece in third place. Ireland also celebrated historic success, as Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy became the first athletes from their country to win back-to-back Olympic titles since 1932, claiming gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls.
Earlier, as the sun broke through in eastern Paris, Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith aimed to follow their female counterparts in winning gold. They took the lead from the start of their men’s pair final and held a commanding position with 500m left in the 2000m race. However, they fell prey to a Croatian surge, with Martin and Valent Sinkovic charging ahead in the final strokes. Croatia’s winning time of 6:23:66 was less than a second ahead of the British duo. The brothers have now earned three Olympic golds. Switzerland finished with the bronze.
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“A lot was written and said about this team after Tokyo, with tough questions being asked,” Wynne-Griffith reflected. “I’m really proud that many athletes are returning from Tokyo, the same individuals who learned from that experience and came back as a united team, making everyone proud.” The underlying concern is that sports like rowing rely heavily on Olympic success for crucial funding. A lackluster performance here could trigger further uncomfortable inquiries, as Wynne-Griffith mentioned.
George and Wynne-Griffith, who were bronze medalists in Tokyo, have been close friends since school. “That’s a huge part of this journey,” George said. “It’s a story you couldn’t write. Being able to achieve this together is incredibly special and has worked out exceptionally well, especially in a pair where tension can escalate. We know when to give each other space and when to push each other.”
“We had the ideal race, from start to finish. It’s tough to accept not winning in the last three strokes, but we still came away with a silver medal. This journey has been extraordinary for us.” It felt like a moment for them. We are left to wonder if this is truly the end of the line for Craig and Grant.
