BERKSHIRE-based rowers made it a medal-tastic final day of competition at the Rio Olympics.

Team GB's "gladiators" powered their way to rowing gold in the men's eight less than an hour after their compatriots took silver in the women's event.

The medals come on what sport fans hope will be a repeat of Super Saturday from the London 2012 Olympics as track and field champions Greg Rutherford, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill try to defend their titles later.

In winning the men's eight, the Caversham-based rowers brought Team GB's good medal haul up to eight, while the girls won Team GB's first-ever Olympic medal in the women's eight.

Scott Durant, Tom Ransley, Andrew T Hodge, Matt Gotrel, Pete Reed, Paul Bennett, Matt Langridge, William Satch and cox Phelan Hill followed up the women's silver by topping the podium in the final race at the Lagoa.

After the race, Hill told the BBC: "These guys were magnificent today. Absolute gladiators."

Hodge said of the race: "That was the angriest, the fiercest, ruthless, absolutely everything in that. It was very, very aggressive. I mean, that was fist fight as it comes. That was really good."

Reed talked about how grateful he is to the crew and their coach, adding: "I've never been so ready for an Olympic Games before.

"We've never been so ready. Just the most amazing bunch of guys. And getting us ready for that one. That was a big, big race. I'm just ... I'm speechless."

A late surge saw the women just snatch silver from Romania in the exciting final moment.

Reading's Olivia Carnegie-Brown, 25, and a former pupil at Queen Anne's School in Caversham, joined Katie Greves, Melanie Wilson, Frances Houghton, Polly Swann, Jessica Eddie, Karen Bennett, Zoe Lee and cox Zoe de Toledo to cross the line in six minutes 3.98 seconds - just 0.12 seconds ahead of the bronze medallists.

Houghton hailed all the women who helped get the team to the Olympic podium, saying: "It's not only about us nine girls. There was a group of 14 who came into the team at the beginning of the year. For every single one of those girls we were carrying that today.

"This fifth Olympics has been really great. We've really tried to make sure we've had a good time. Even before the race we sat around and we were laughing and joking together.

"Sport can be so much pressure but at the same time, sport is supposed to be fun and a great experience. It's something you do that you enjoy and you pursue because you like to be challenged."

Wilson said: "It's really surreal - it hasn't hit home yet. It's just been an incredible, emotional journey. We're so ecstatic for the silver but the whole project has been so enjoyable that it just tops it off really. It's a brilliant feeling."

Eddie also praised the women who helped along the way, telling the BBC: "I'm so proud of these nine girls but there's about 50 more behind us that got us here."

Swann added: "To be honest at 500 I thought we were going to win. I just absolutely believed every single stroke, that we had what it took.

"Okay, America, incredibly classy crew, but that does not take away from the silver medal. It was incredible. These girls are strong, they're sassy, they're inspirational and I am so happy to be here with them."