'Champions Forever’: Sussex rower Emily Craig’s emotional Gold medal at Paris Olympics

  • Tap to watch report on Emily Craig's Olympic success by ITV Meridian's Joe Coshan

"I'm a little bit disappointed..." is not the initial reaction you'd expect after winning a gold medal.

"Every single photo of us on the podium, there are none of me smiling because I am sobbing in all of them," Crowborough rower Emily Craig told ITV Meridian.

When you learn about Emily's story, the outpouring of emotion becomes clear. It was the result of three years of blood sweat and tears after Emily and her rowing partner Imogen Grant missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics by 0.01 of a second.

The picture of the photo finish has been on Emily's living room wall and it's clearly paid off, as they've been on a 23-race unbeaten ever since, which ended with Gold in Paris.

Emily Craig & Imogen Grant on the podium after winning gold in Paris. Credit: PA

Emily said: "I knew it was going to be emotional because every time in the last three years I thought about what the moment might feel like I started welling up.

"It just meant so much. From the outside being unbeaten it could look like it was easy and plain sailing. But even within these last three years, there's been a lot of ups and downs and big challenges for the both of us as a crew."

The pair have been part of an incredibly successful games for the GB Rowing team - with 36 out of 42 athletes leaving France with a medal.

An emotional Emily Craig (right) bites on her gold medal after winning the Lightweight Women's Double Sculls in Paris. Credit: PA

"I remember when I first rowed properly on the water at Bewl Bridge Rowing club and immediately fell in love.

"My mum asked me if I was enjoying it and I was like 'I want to do this in the Olympics'.

"And she replied, yeah yeah sure that's cute, so it's a bit mad that it's actually happened."

Winning at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium means Emily and Imogen are enshrined in Olympic history.

Their event will be taken out of the rowing programme after the Paris Olympics, with beach sprints introduced in their place at Los Angeles in four years’ time.

It means they are the last Olympic lightweight women’s double sculls champions - a title they'll hold forever.

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