The pair, who only needed to cross the finish line to guarantee gold, were forced to wait for their coronation after the final regatta was postponed on Wednesday due to a lack of wind.
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Great Britain have won their 21st gold medal of the 2016 Olympic Games after Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark triumphed in the women’s 470 sailing on Thursday.
The British duo merely had to complete the double-point medal race without disqualification and duly did so, easing home in eighth in the delayed finale to rubber-stamp glory.
“Lost for words – I can’t believe it!”
Their victory takes Britain’s sailing medal haul to three after Giles Scott’s Finn gold and Dempsey’s silver, ensuring the team met their minimum UK Sport target.
Mills and Clark arrived at the Rio Olympics with unfinished business in the women’s 470 class after taking silver on the home waters of Weymouth and Portland four years ago. It is just such an unbelievable moment to be able to share with everyone. “I just wanted to come and see my mum”. We had to finish the Medal Race, but at the same time there was a massive battle behind us for silver and bronze and we didn’t want to be the boat that tacked on someone, causing them to lose a medal. “It has actually been the best feeling ever”, Mills told BBC One. We have forgotten all about London.
“We have had six great years sailing together and Sas is the best person ever”.
“There was a heated battle for the podium spots behind us”, Mills explained. We are so proud to come back after it and we’ve worked so hard to get the upgrade to gold.
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They had been sitting on an unassailable lead for two days. “It would have been awful to have tacked into someone and cost them, so we just stayed out of the way”.
