Great Britain’s Helen Glover and the women’s four had to settle for silver in a thrilling final at the Paris Olympics.

The British boat of mother-of-three Glover, Esme Booth, Sam Redgrave and Northern Ireland’s Rebecca Shorten was neck and neck with the Netherlands for the final 500m of the 2,000m race.

For a moment, it looked like Glover’s dream of a third Olympic gold medal would come true, but the Dutch edged them out on the line to win by 0.18 seconds.

“We put it all out there,” said Glover, 38. “We raced the plan we wanted to race, we raced together with so much heart. There can’t be regret looking back and knowing you did all you can.”

In Tokyo, Covid restrictions meant no families could attend, but Paris is different.

“No matter how we do, they (family and friends) are the people we go back to who love us no matter what,” she added.

“It’s really nice to have everyone out there and everyone who’s supported us from near and far.”

Earlier, Britain’s Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, another mother, and Becky Wilde secured an emotional bronze medal in the women’s doubles sculls.

Hodgkins-Byrne took time away from the sport after Tokyo 2020 to give birth, and Wilde had surgery on her forearms in September.

The men’s four of Oli Wilkes, David Ambler, Matt Aldridge and Freddie Davidson fought back to claim another bronze in the final race of the day.

After a gold in the women’s quadruple sculls on Wednesday, Britain now have four rowing medals in Paris, already one more than they managed at Tokyo 2020.

Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle, who is from Northern Ireland, won bronze for Ireland in the men’s double sculls.

“For months I’ve known this has been a special combination and a special partnership,” said Doyle, a qualified doctor.

Glover, who only took up rowing in her final year at university, retired for the first time after winning golds with Heather Stanning in the women’s pair at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

But after marrying wildlife TV presenter Steve Backshall and giving birth to son Logan in July 2018 and twins Kit and Willow in January 2020, she decided to return in the Tokyo Games of 2021.

Becoming the first mother to compete for the GB rowing team, she came an agonising fourth in the women’s pair and stepped back from the sport again.

Her competitive spirit – and the desire to win a medal with her children in the stands – tempted her back to compete in Paris.

Glover, who would have become the first British woman to win three rowing gold medals, wanted to prove it was possible to be the “best athlete and best mum she could be”.

Her hopes were high in Paris after the team’s unbeaten build-up to the Games, and they went into the final as favourites.

The British crew started steadily and were second to defending champions Romania at halfway, but the Netherlands boat powered into the lead and had the strength to hold on until the final stroke of a compelling race.

Glover showed little enthusiasm when asked if she might continue and compete in the new beach sprint discipline at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

Hodgkins-Byrne, 29, and Wilde, 26, made a strong start to their final but were overhauled by eventual champions New Zealand and silver medallists Romania.

They had to dig deep to hold off the Netherlands to secure their medal.

Hodgkins-Byrne, who carried on training while pregnant, did not want her rowing career to finish after the disappointment of Rio, where she came seventh in the quadruple sculls.

And, like Glover, she has also spoken about how motherhood has given her a better perspective on life.

Asked what her medal proved, Hodgkins-Byrne said it was “completely possible” to balance being a mother with taking part in elite sport.

“I’m so lucky with Becky and my coach Tom (Pattichis),” she said. “Whenever I’ve had an issue with childcare or sleep or anything, both of them have been so flexible and understanding. It’s never become an issue.

“I’ve been able to be Mathilda the athlete rather than Mathilda the mum trying to juggle everything. I’m so grateful for that.”

Wilde, who swam for Wales before taking up rowing, said: “It means everything. It was a dream come true to make it here, and to win a medal is beyond anything we could have imagined.”

Identified in 2020 at a ‘Project Paris’ scheme to find potential Olympic medallists, the men’s four are a close-knit group of friends and are all members of the Oxford Brookes University Boat Club.

They won the world championship in 2023 and were seeking to make amends after the British four in Tokyo finished fourth after losing control of their steering in the final.

After a cautious start the Olympic debutants fought their way through the field but could not catch the front two boats, with the United States taking gold and New Zealand silver.

“It’s a pretty awesome feeling to come away with some silverware – or bronzeware,” said Ambler.

“It’s just been chugging away the last few years, working hard, tough training.

“To come away with something to show for it is a fantastic feeling.”

Davidson said the last three years had been like “working every day with your best mates.”

“All of us have rowed together for about eight, nine years now,” said Davidson. “Not always in the same boat, but these are guys who grew up together. It’s a group that we started in the senior team together.

“It’s a very special group to have shared this with. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of mates to share the last three years with.”