Team chief Tanner hails an oarsome performance

Rowing team manager David Tanner today hailed the best Olympic return for a British team in the sport since the London Games of 1908.

Britain finished top of the medal table at the Shinyi regatta, with a tally of two golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

Tanner said: "It has been fantastic. Only two nations won more than one gold medal and we were one of them. We have a team with an exceptional amount of talent."

The only major blot on an outstanding weekend for the British rowers was the heartbreak suffered by the women's quadruple skulls team of Kath Grainger, Annie Vernon, Debbie Flood and Frances Houghton.

They were favourites going into yesterday's final and led for most of the race only to be pipped on the line by the Chinese boat. The team were in tears at the end of the race and cried throughout the medal ceremony.

Grainger, who has now won three consecutive Olympic silver medals, said: "We always said that silver wouldn't be good enough for us."