Germans stop mid-race to gift Aussies surprise medal

Australia's women's quad sculls person snuck into the medals successful the dying stages of their last this morning, aft a important mistake from 1 of their opponents.

After coming done the repechage rounds to scope the final, the squad of Ria Thompson, Rowena Meredith, Harriet Hudson and Caitlin Cronin looked similar they would person to settee for a gallant fourth.

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But successful the last infinitesimal of the race, the German squad that had been comfortably 2nd passim the contest, abruptly stopped, allowing Poland to leapfrog them to 2nd and the Aussies to sneak onto the podium, down a ascendant Chinese squad that broke the satellite record.

Australia's quad sculls with their bronze medals. (Getty)

It was revealed that 1 of the German rowers 'caught a crab', a rowing word that refers to making a changeable successful which the oar either misses the h2o oregon digs excessively deeply, causing the rower to autumn backwards.

The Aussie squad had finished 4th successful their archetypal vigor connected Friday, forcing them into a repechage circular connected Sunday wherever they needed to decorativeness successful the apical 2 to suffice for the final.

After they won that, they were viewed arsenic an extracurricular medal accidental - but they stepped up successful the final, producing a clip much than 14 seconds faster than their effort successful the heats.

It was Australia's 4th medal successful 4 events successful a highly-successful greeting of rowing.

The women's and men's fours each took golden successful their respective events, earlier the men's quad sculls besides snagged a bronze.

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