Princess Anne's message to Team GB gold medallists cracks up BBC Olympics studio
Princess Anne handed out the gold medals to Team GB's female rowers on Wednesday.
Team GB rower Lola Anderson cracked up the BBC studio as she revealed what Princess Anne said to her just moments after winning Olympic gold. Anderson tasted glory in the women’s quadruple sculls alongside Lauren Henry, Hannah Scott and Georgie Brayshaw on Wednesday.
The British quartet looked set for silver with just 250 metres to go but they dug deep to launch a successful sprint to the finish line. It was initially called as a photo finish but it quickly became apparent that Team GB had pipped the Netherlands at the last moment.
Princess Anne was on hand to present the medals and looked delighted as she handed out golds to Anderson, Henry, Scott and Brayshaw. Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Anderson had the studio in stitches as she explained what the Princess Royal said while dishing out the medals.
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"She said that it was a bit too close," revealed Anderson. "She said could we have won by a bit more? Which I probably agree with!"
Team GB have already improved on their gold medal tally in rowing from the previous Olympics, having come away from Tokyo with one silver and one bronze. They will be hoping for more success when Helen Glover competes in the women's four alongside Esme Booth, Samantha Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten.
Anderson broke down in tears immediately after winning gold, saying in her interview: "It feels like it’s been ages working towards this. As a team we’re very process-driven and we’re always looking to what comes next.
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"When you get to the end of a cycle like this and it doesn’t get bigger than this, it’s really quite overwhelming to experience this, but we’re really grateful."
Reflecting on the dramatic sprint finish, team-mate Scott added: "We were so process-driven today. I've just been trying to play it really cool. We kept it so cool at the end. We knew we had the confidence after doing so many hard miles in training."
Team GB's rowing gold came just minutes after Alex Yee secured a dramatic victory in the men's triathlon, which was delayed by 24 hours due to the poor water quality in the River Seine. He fought hard to close a 15-second gap on Hayden Wilde of New Zealand with a dramatic late surge into the lead.
Britain now have a total of 17 medals, six of which are gold, marking their highest-ever tally at this stage of a Games. They currently sit fifth in the overall table, behind Australia, Japan, hosts France and early leaders China.