The Rio 2016 Olympic Games rowing competition came to an end on Saturday (13 August) as Great Britain's third gold saw them top the medal table for the sport.

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Germany and New Zealand tied for second, with both countries winning two gold medals and a silver. Germany won the men's and women's quadruple sculls and New Zealand the men's pair and men's single sculls.

The men's pair was the 69th successive win for New Zealanders Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, the longest unbeaten streak in rowing history.

Kiwi veterans Bond and Murray in action on the Lagao (Photo: Rio 2016/Miriam Jeske)

A total of 21 countries won medals in the spectacular setting of the Lagoa Stadium across three days of finals – with six finals held on Thursday after Wednesday's racing was cancelled.

Great Britain's win in the men's eight on Saturday followed golds in the men's four and women's pair and silvers for the women's eight and women's double sculls. British crews have now won the men's four at five consecutive Olympic Games.

Meanwhile Great Britain’s Helen Glover and Heather Stanning's win in the women's pair marked the first time a British women's crew has defended an Olympic title, while the women's eight's silver was the first in this boat class for Great Britain.

Other historic wins included the first Olympic gold medal in rowing for Croatia as brothers Martin Sinkovic and Valent Sinkovic won the men's double sculls.

Polish pair Magdalena Fularczyk-Koslowska and Natalia Madaj's victory in the women's double sculls was Poland's first women's rowing gold medal at an Olympic Games, and Kimberley Brennan won Australia’s first women's single sculls title.

Ireland picked up its first Olympic rowing medal, meanwhile, with a silver for brothers Gary O'Donovan and Paul O'Donovan in the lightweight men's double sculls.

The regatta was the final Olympic Games for several veteran athletes. Those who announced their retirements included eight-time Olympian Lesley Thompson-Willie of Canada, bowing out after finishing fifth in the women's eights, seven-time Olympian Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, who concluded her career with an eighth-place finish in the women's single sculls, and Katherine Grainger, who picked up her fifth successive medal with a silver in the women's double sculls to become Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian.

Other memorable moments on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas included the first capsize since the Athens 2004 Olympic Games as Nenad Bedik and Milos Vasic of Serbia fell in in rough water on the first day's racing.

Vladislav Yakovlev of Kazakhstan also capsized in both his repechage and semi-final, but made it safely to the finish line in the F final of the men's single sculls.