Team GB missed out on a medal in the men’s coxless fours after veering drastically off course in the final stretch and almost crashing into a rival boat in dramatic scenes.

The British quartet were vying for a silver medal up to the final 150 metres and would almost certainly have been on the podium when they very suddenly deviated into the lane next to them, practically touching oars with the Italian boat – who just managed to grab bronze.

‘They have steering problems,’ yelled the stunned commentator as the boat moved across the lane dividers. ‘They’re going to cause a clash! There was almost a crash and that is unheard of.’

Oliver Cook took responsibility for the error and broke down in tears when he was interviewed by the BBC afterwards.

‘I need to diagnose it but I feel like I screwed up a little bit,’ he said after the race, with Team GB finishing in fourth place.

‘I think as I was closing in at the end and just taking big strokes at the end going for the line, I forgot the steering a little bit and that’s what cost us to be honest, cost us a medal.

‘I think all I can say is just thank you to everyone who stayed up to watch tonight and I’m really sorry we’re not coming back with something.’

‘To the lads, I’m sorry, I didn’t steer us the best line at the end there,’ he added in tears, before having to be consoled by his equally distraught teammates.

There was better news for Team GB’s rowers elsewhere, however, with the men’s quadruple sculls winning silver earlier in the day.

The conditions in the rowing were very difficult to handle on Wednesday, with the tropical storm almost cancelling the action, and one Norwegian crew even capsized in astonishing scenes on the water.

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