'We’ve been training for three years for moments like that' - Northern Ireland's Olympic hero Hannah Scott remains coolest person in Paris to claim Team GB glory

​After waiting 36 years for further gold medal glory after Lady Mary Peters (1972), Jimmy Kirkwood and Stephen Martin’s (both 1988) respective successes, Northern Ireland celebrated three in a memorable 16-hour span as Magheralin’s Daniel Wiffen and Belfast man Jack McMillan’s swimming heroics were followed up in fine fashion by Scott on Wednesday morning.

The 25-year-old, who progressed through the ranks at Bann Rowing Club in her hometown, was competing at her second Olympics and led from the front as she, alongside fellow crew members Lauren Henry, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw, pipped the Netherlands by 0.15 seconds in a dramatic photo finish.

While it may have looked like the race was getting away from the British team at certain points in the dying stages, Scott never wavered in her belief that the reigning world champions would add Olympic gold to their growing collection.

“About 10 strokes from the line we just said ‘we got this’, then we just came through,” she told British Rowing. “We really trust in ourselves.

"We did this at the World Championships as well so we like to give people a tight race. We’ve been training for three years for moments like that and we weren’t going to let it go.

"Tough strokes have been taken every day for that, so other people could see it as nerve wracking but we were all eyes in."

Their Olympic success even got a stamp of Royal approval as Princess Anne presented Scott’s medal – a symbol of unwavering dedication to her craft – while hundreds of supporters watched back home on the big screen in Coleraine’s town centre.

“Getting the medal from Princess Anne was amazing!” added Scott. “She made a good speech for us at the Embassy earlier in the week where she said to the three girls that it’s their first Games and to just enjoy it.

"It shows the talent with them that it’s their first Olympiad and they can get a gold medal.

"Turning it around from Tokyo, this is a really great surprise as well. But Princess Anne just said to enjoy it.”