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HISTORY: Two rowing golds for Australia in super morning
The Roar
28th July, 2021
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(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The Roar
28th July, 2021
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Australia have had an extraordinary morning in the rowing, claiming gold medals in both the men’s and women’s four events and setting two new Olympic records in the process.

Australia’s women – Lucy Stephan, Rosemary Popa, Jessica Morrison and Annabelle McIntyre – were dominant in the first of the two races, but had to survive an extraordinary comeback from the Netherlands in the final 500m to claim gold.

They were never headed, but the Dutch got through the last second over a full second quicker and looked certain to catch them.

However, our girls found another gear and were able to cross the line first.

Then, it was the men’s turn. Alexander Purnell, Spencer Turrin, Jack Hargreaves and Alexander Hill got off to an outrageously good start and were virtually a boat length ahead by the second sector.

Again, they had to withstand a mighty challenge – this time from five-time reigning gold medalists Great Britain – in the last sector, but the Brits ran out of steam and ended up straying from their lane.

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Romania gave it a good go to finish second, but the day belonged to the Aussies as they collected both fours gold medals at the same Olympics for the first time ever.

It’s Australia’s first men’s gold in the fours since James Tomkins, Drew Ginn, Nick Green and Mike McKay triumphed at Atlanta 1996 and it’s Australia’s first ever women’s gold in the event.

The medals didn’t stop there, with Jack Cleary, Caleb Anthill, Cameron Girdlestone and Luke Letcher claiming bronze in the men’s quadruple sculls.

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