THE men’s lightweight rowing crew of Matthew Brittain, Sizwe Ndlovu, John Smith and James Thompson secured South Africa’s third gold medal of the London Olympic Games when they produced a stunning final 500m to edge ahead in one of the closest finishes ever at the Games.
A quick start from the South African "Oarsome Foursome" seemed to have been wasted when the Danish crew jumped clear and then they were passed first by the Australians and then the British approaching the 1 500m mark. But in a perfectly judged race the winners powered into the medals and then into the lead over the final 500m.
They crossed the line two tenths of a second ahead of the hosts, followed by Denmark and the fading Australians all within two seconds of each other for one of the closest finishes at these Games. – IOL