Lola Anderson, a member of the gold medal-winning British women's quadruple sculls crew, paid an emotional tribute to her late father, Don, after a dramatic last-stroke victory at the Paris Olympics. The crew, which also included Hannah Scott, Lauren Henry and Georgie Brayshaw, edged out the Netherlands by 0.15 seconds in sweltering heat.
Anderson recalled how her father had retrieved a note she wrote as a teenager during the London 2012 Games, in which she expressed her dream of winning Olympic gold for Great Britain. She had discarded it, fearing it seemed arrogant, but her father kept it and returned it to her shortly before his death in 2019. 'He would be very proud today,' she said, visibly emotional.
The victory marked a significant turnaround for British rowing after a disappointing performance in Tokyo, where the women's quadruple sculls finished seventh. Scott, the only survivor from that crew, said: 'I still had the belief and the belief never left. You have to learn from your tough experiences.'
Henry, the youngest crew member at 22, described the moment of victory as 'ecstatic', adding: 'We will always have belief until we cross that finish line.' The crew are now Olympic, world and European champions.
