Lightweight men's four (LM4-) - Final

Switzerland had an awesome semifinal that saw them not only win by a healthy margin but also record the fastest qualifying time for today’s final. The Swiss, who have the same crew that raced in the final at the London Olympics, got their bow ball in front off the start with France chasing hard.

By the half way point the Swiss still held the lead leaving the rest of the field in a line separated by just two seconds. This was lightweight racing at its best. Switzerland then took a boat length and despite underrating some of the other crews, they remained out in front. In the final sprint all eyes were on the French. Could they get into a medal winning spot. The crowd was helping them to the line. World Champions Denmark had upped their stroke rate to 41 and had overtaken 2014 silver medallists New Zealand. At the line behind Switzerland it was tight. France took bronze and Denmark with silver.

Results: SUI, DEN, FRA, NZL, NED, ITA

Simon Schuerch (2) – SUI – gold  
“We had a good week and a lot of fun here. The step we made from the Rotsee (Lucerne) to here is huge. We tested every combination and the change in line-up brought a lot.”

Jens Vilhelmsen (2) – DEN – silver  
“It was a tough fight, we had a good feeling before the race, but our technique was not at our best, so it was more of a physical battle. We are satisfied with this silver.”

Thibault Colard (3) – FRA – bronze 
“It’s incredible, so much emotion and strength in the last 500 metres. The public made the difference.”