Bronze for British duo as curtain falls on action at Eton Dorney
By IAN STAFFORD
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Liam Heath and Jon Schofield rounded off the most successful Olympic Games British canoeing has ever enjoyed by winning a bronze medal in the kayak double 200metres final.
The huge Union Flag-waving crowd had barely calmed down after seeing Ed McKeever strike gold in the single version when Heath and Schofield managed to hold on to third place and win Team GB a fourth canoeing medal in total, one more than the target set by their coaches.
Making a splash: The British pair celebrate after claiming bronze in Saturday's race
The Russian pair of Yury Postrigay and Alexander Dyachenko took gold in a time of 33.507sec, with Belarussians Raman Piatrushenka and Vadzim Makhneu finishing second. Heath and Schofield, who looked good for silver until the final 50m, finished third in a time of 34.421sec.
The three-time European champions and former world silver and bronze medallists were delighted to have claimed an Olympic medal after expressing their disappointment with their qualifying efforts.
Flying the flag: The British pair pick up their bronze medal after the final Olympic event at Eton Dorney
'I'm happy because Friday was one of the most horrible days of my career,' said Schofield. 'You just can't come to an Olympic Games, especially a home Games, and perform badly. I'm therefore extremely relieved that we've got something out of it in the end.'
Heath agreed. 'It was a strong headwind out there which made it tough for us but we have a medal and that can never be taken away from us,' he said. The former cocktail waiter added: 'I might make and drink a red, white and blue cocktail tonight to celebrate.'
The pair also revealed how watching McKeever win gold inspired them to win a medal for themselves. 'To see Ed win gold so emphatically gave us a lot of confidence and inspiration in our final,' added Heath.
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