Pam Relph seals golden Paralympic rowing double

Published: 12:50, 12 September 2016

20160911 Copyright onEdition 2016ﾩ Free for editorial use image, please credit: onEdition Rower Daniel Brown, from Reading, Berks, Pamela Relph, from Aylesbury, Bucks, James Fox, from Peterborough, Grace Clough, from Sheffield and Oliver James, from Henley-on-Thames, win a gold medal for ParalympicsGB in the LTA Mixed Coxed Four at the Rio Paralympic Games 2016. ParalympicsGB is the name for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Paralympic Team that competes at the summer and winter Paralympic Games. The Team is selected and managed by the British Paralympic Association, in conjunction with the national governing bodies, and is made up of the best sportsmen and women who compete in the 22 summer and 4 winter sports on the Paralympic Programme. For additional Images please visit: http://www.w-w-i.com/paralympicsgb_2016/ For more information please contact the press office via press@paralympics.org.uk or on +44 (0) 7717 587 055 If you require a higher resolution image or you have any other onEdition pho

Pamela Relph savoured Paralympic rowing success in Rio.

Pamela Relph's amazing record in the mixed coxed four continued as she won Paralympic rowing gold at the Lagoa Stadium in Rio.

The Histon-based rower joined the crew in 2011, and despite a complete change in personnel since their London Paralympic success, their dominance of the class has stretched to five years unbeaten.

Relph was joined in Brazil by James Fox, Dan Brown, Grace Clough and cox Oliver James, and they won the gold medal in 3min 17.17sec, beating the second-placed American crew by two seconds.

"It was just an absolutely amazing day,said Relph, who was winning her second gold medal after the success in London."We just felt so well prepared. I don't think ever had people around me that have calmed me so much.

"I was an absolute nervous wreck these last two days coming into it. These guys are supposed to be the ones that have never done it before and they were keeping me really grounded, I just felt totally in control and I knew that we were going to win - I've got this engine role around me and it's such an amazing feeling."

On the support from the British supporters, Relph added:"It's totally amazing, you can feel them willing you on in the last 250m as well.

"It does add a lot of pressure as well because we're coming to do one race, we've been training for four years to do one single race and we can't mess up, there are no three or four events in this sport.

"We train for three minutes, and to have all of our family there, they are taking all the strokes with us, and they want us to win as much as we want us to win, so it's such an amazing boost."

Other Sport Mark Taylor