Vicky Thornley and Katherine Grainger have won a silver medal for Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The pair brought home Team GB’s first rowing medal of the games in the double sculls on Thursday afternoon (August 11).
Thornley, a former Abbey Gate College and Bishop Heber High School pupil, is celebrating her first Olympic success. While it is a mighty fifth medal for her partner over a stellar career.
Their boat had led the way for the majority of the 2km course, before being overtaken my Poland in the final 200m.
Speaking to the BBC, the 28-year-old said: "I'm so thankful to Katherine she's done such a good job in that race.
"It was really quite a big headwind. I'm not sure what happened at the end, if we got tight or whatever but I'm a bit lost for words if I'm honest it's a whirlwind."
After a difficult run up to Rio the duo had come into the games not knowing what to expect.
But as they improved through the rounds they became much more optimistic about their chances of securing a medal.
Grainger told the BBC: "It's one of those races that at the start of the regatta you would've taken that with both hands.
"Because we lead most of the way there's a little tinge of what might've been. Considering what we've been through over the last couple of years I'm so proud of what we've done.
"That's a medal not many people would've put money on."
They struggled at the European Championships in May and dissolved their partnership to chase seats in the women's eight.
When that bid failed, prompting Thornley's boyfriend Ric Egington to accuse Paul Thompson, GB Rowing's chief women's coach, of bullying, the duo faced missing out on Rio.
Thornley hails from Holt, near Wrexham. She came through the GB Rowing Team Start programme to establish herself as one of the country’s leading scullers.
The former equestrian rider and model was the first graduate of the Sporting Giants talent identification scheme to win a medal when she struck gold at the 2009 World U23 Championships.
She went on to race with the women’s eight at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Vicky represented Wales at show-jumping during her teenage years and also did some modelling during a gap year in 2006 before getting into rowing.
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