Great Britain opened the World Rowing Cup season with two gold medals Saturday in Seville, winning the men's four and the women's singles sculls at the first major international regatta of the year, according to BBC Sport.
The men's four won by 5.22 seconds over France, with the Netherlands finishing third. It was a dominant performance in what is one of rowing's most traditional and closely watched events.
The women's singles sculls was far tighter. Lauren Henry beat Lithuania's Viktorija Senkute by just 0.14 seconds in a photo finish. Ireland's Fiona Murtagh, who beat Henry by 0.03 seconds at last year's World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, took bronze.
Henry reflected on the race after the win. "It was a good race. I think my first half was maybe a bit sluggish; I'm not sure I got my heat strategies right," she told World Rowing. "But I really, really trust my second half of the race, I know that if I'm within a sniff, I can do it. I just have so much belief in the training I do and my coach."
Beyond the two golds, Britain collected additional medals across the program. The women's quadruple sculls took silver, with Germany winning that race by 0.43 seconds. Great Britain also won silver in the men's eight, where world champion Netherlands took gold. In the women's eight, Britain won bronze behind Australia and the Netherlands.
The results give Great Britain a strong start heading into what is expected to be a competitive international rowing season.