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Stuff sports reporters19:24, Jul 30 2021
Sky Sport
The NZ women s eight couldn t quite catch Canada, whose cox loses her balance with joy.
In front of eight great New Zealand women, sat a man making Olympic rowing history. Shepherd has etched his name into the history books as the first male to win a women s Olympic Games medal after steering Ella Greenslade, Emma Dyke, Lucy Spoors, Kelsey Bevan, Grace Prendergast, Kerri Gowler, Beth Ross and Jackie Gowler in their silver medal-winning performance on the waters of Sea Forest Waterway.
Naomi Baker/Getty Images
Coxswain Caleb Shepherd and the New Zealand eight can finally smile and relax after claiming the silver medal.
New Zealand women's rowing eight wins silver at Tokyo Olympics stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In the women’s final, the race favourites strived throughout to catch early leaders Canada and looked like a gold medal was possible 400 metres from the finish, but the Canadian eight held on to win by just 0.91 seconds. It was just the second time in New Zealand’s history that the country has entered a women’s eight since the event was first held in 1976, over a shortened course. The NZ women’s eight debuted in Rio five years ago and finished just outside the medals.
Sky Sport
Celebration time! Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast triumph in the women s pair in Tokyo.
Photo: Steve McArthur/Photosport Ltd 2021
Emma Twigg started the medal rush by winning gold in the women s single sculls.
Twigg dominated the final winning in an Olympic best time of 7 mins, 13.97 secs.
She led from start to finish and crossed the line 3.42 secs ahead of Hanna Prakatsen of the Russian Olympic Committee, with Austria s Magdalena Lobnig claiming bronze.
Twigg told
Sky Sport she could not believe it. All these years many, many disappointments and I just can t thank the people I have surrounded myself by enough, they ve got me here, that s not my result that s my team. I feel like this is fate and here we are, and it s an amazing feeling.