Twickenham’s John Collins progressed through to the semi-finals of the men’s double sculls from the repechage with his partner Jonny Walton.
The pair finished in first position, but were made to work hard for it by the Serbian boat who lead as far as the 1,500m mark.
The Serbs launched quickly from the start, but the British pair stayed within touching distance the entire race, never dropping more than one second behind.
In the end Collins and Walton were half a boat length ahead at the finish line and will have a more favourable lane draw in the semi-final as a result.
Their participation in the repechage came as a result of finishing last in their heat on Saturday, and this result should give them confidence that they can progress to the final.
Collins and Walton have been racing together since 2014, their highest result a silver medal at the World Cup event in Poznan in June of this year.
Twickenham-born Collins is competing in his first Olympics at the age of 25.
He was introduced to rowing while doing his Duke of Edinburgh award, and learnt to row at Putney Town Rowing Club.
Bulgaria also qualified to the semi-finals in third along with GB and Serbia, with Cuba dropping out of the competition.
Reigning Olympic champions New Zealand are just one of the boats that await them in the semi-finals, as well as the Lithuanian pair who recorded the fastest time in the heats.
Image courtesy of the BBC, with thanks
