sports

TeamGB In Paris - In Their Own Words

Hannah Scott, Lola Anderson, Georgie Brayshaw, Lauren Henry with their gold medals for TeamGB in the Womens Quad Sculls Rowing at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in Paris on the 31st July 2024. Photo Credit:Chloe Knott/Team GB

Lola Anderson was part of the women's quadruple sculls team which earned a gold medal on Wednesday. She was inspired by the London 2012 Olympics, writing down her dream to compete at the Games on a piece of paper. She then threw it away, but her father retrieved the note and gave it to her seven years later. Anderson’s father died of cancer shortly afterwards.

As a boat we are always very process-driven and always looking to what comes next but when you come to the end of a cycle like this and it doesn't get bigger than this, it is really quite overwhelming to just experience this, but I am really grateful.

I forgot about the piece of paper obviously but a couple of years ago my dad reminded me and I know that he would be so, so proud. I am thinking a lot about him right now, it's really lovely.

Lola Anderson from Richmond, Rowing

Keiran Rilley. Photo from the 2023 European Games Krzeszowice BMX Park in Krakow, Poland. Photo credit: Team GB / Sam Mellish

Kieran Reilly earned a silver medal in the men’s BMX Freestyle, a sport which was only added to the Olympic programme for Tokyo 2020.

When I started BMX, it wasn’t even a dream of mine to go to the Games,” he said. “Knowing that kids now might see more of a career in this sport, and that parents might take their kids to a BMX club rather than a Saturday football team, that’s amazing.

We’re going to grow the sport and I hope this shows kids that you don’t have to be from somewhere with the best skatepark in the world. You can make it work. The hard work will pay off, and if you’re someone who loves riding their bike, that’s not hard work.

Kieran Reilly from Gateshead, Cycling BMX Freestyle

Andrea Spendolin-Sirieix & Lois Toulson with their Bronze Medals for TeamGB in the Womens’s Synchronised 10m Platform competition at the Aquatics Centre in Paris, France on the 31st July 2024. Photo Credit:Sam Mellish/Team GB

Lois Toulson and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix added to Team GB's diving medals haul by taking bronze in the diving women's synchronised 10m platform.

I have been diving for 17 years now and this is my third Olympics. My family have been with me throughout all of that and I knew going into this competition, it would be the best chance I will ever have of getting an Olympic medal alongside Andrea.

Having my family here to watch it, I can’t wait for them to see me with my medal around my neck and just enjoy it.

We knew our last two dives were our strongest and the most difficult so we never gave up. We kept pushing and we never backed down no matter what.

Lois Toulson from Huddersfield, Diving