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Helen Glover’s bid to win a third Olympics gold medal and add another sensational chapter to her trail-blazing rowing career ended in heartbreak as Great Britain lost out to the Netherlands in a thrilling finish in the women’s coxless four. There were bronze medals for Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Becky Wilde in the women’s double sculls, as well as the Great Britain men’s coxless four.
While Glover, 38, claimed her third Olympics medal after returning to rowing for the second time and as a mother of three, the Great Britain team were left devastated as Netherlands won gold by just 0.18 seconds. The women’s four of Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten were previously unbeaten in 2024 coming into the Olympics, and were favourites for gold after winning the European Championship in May.
Glover, who won gold in the women’s pair at London 2012 and Rio 2016, returned to rowing for the second time ahead of Paris 2024. The 38-year-old announced her comeback inspired by a mission to “push the boundaries” for mothers in sport, having given birth to her first son, Logan, in 2018, followed by twins Willow and Kit in January 2020.
Handed the honour of carrying Great Britain’s flag along with Tom Daley at last week’s opening ceremony, Glover represented a talismanic figure for Team GB’s rowing squad as they looked to return to form at the Olympic regatta at Vaires-sur-Marne. Tokyo brought no gold rowing medals for Great Britain at an Olympics for the first time since 1980 but hopes were high for further improvement after gold yesterday in the women’s quadruple sculls.
In the first of three finals with British medal chances, Hodgkins Byrne and Wilde claimed bronze in the women’s double sculls with New Zealand pipping reigning champion Romania to gold in a reverse of their position at Tokyo three years ago. Hodgkins Byrne had also returned to rowing following a maternity break and giving birth to her son, Freddie, in 2022.
No doubt Hodgkins Byrne took inspiration from Glover’s comeback at Tokyo. The two-time gold medal winner became the first mother to row for Great Britain at an Olympics. After a four-year absence, she returned because of a “lockdown project gone too far”. If showing she could make it back to an Olympics was a statement, returning ahead of Paris came with the intent of reaching the podium, of showing what could be possible,
But the British four were unable to pull in the Netherlands after heading into the final 100 metres neck and neck. With Glover in the back of the GB boat, the lead briefly changed hands on every stroke until the Dutch managed to close out their victory by a fraction of a boat length.
In the men’s four, Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson settled for bronze after overcoming a poor start to make it onto the podium behind the United States and New Zealand. Great Britain looked set to be Olympic favourites after winning the 2022 and 2023 World Championships but have faltered this season and ultimately, the United States and New Zealand were well clear when they crossed the line in first and second, respectively.
