It has been a long wait for the canoeists, paddling into action in Paris when most other sports have moved on to their sightseeing and Sazerac eras. But all the kicking their heels was worth it for the British team, who finished the penultimate day of the Games with two golds and two silvers at the Stade Nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne.
An end-of-term feel percolated, spectators queueing for photographs alongside both a giant Phryge – the Games mascot – and a torch with the sudden realisation that all this will soon be gone. Later a waving Phryge travelled down the flat waters on a barge, accompanied by a five-piece band, to huge cheers.
