Tearful and proud family members watched on as Team GB ruled the waves in Tokyo with sailors scooping double Olympic gold medal glory on Tuesday.
Giles Scott won gold in the menâs Finn class, Britainâs sixth successive title in the event, shortly after fellow sailors Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell narrowly claimed first in the menâs 49er.
There were tears and jubilant scenes at Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, as Bithellâs parents Vivian and Leslie watched the pair take the final turn in second but then edge over the finish line in front.
The pair went into the final medal race, where double points are awarded, in second, four points behind New Zealandâs Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, but victory for Fletcher and Bithell and third for New Zealand saw them claim the title.
Viv Bithell, 68, told the PA news agency: âItâs been really exciting and we are absolutely delighted whatâs happened.
âWeâve spoken to him on Facetime and heâs absolutely beaming and canât believe it, he said himself itâs not sunk in yet, so thereâs going to be some celebrations going on in the next week or so.â
Fletcherâs mother Jane spoke of the agonising wait to see her son in action, after the race was postponed 24 hours due to low wind.
She told Good Morning Britain: âWe were in the shaking position yesterday morning and then we had to stop shaking and then start shaking again this morning. I havenât stopped! Iâve been blubbing all over the place, itâs amazing.â
And Bithellâs partner Katherine Kimber cracked open the champagne to celebrate at Parkstone Yacht Club in Poole, Dorset, telling Good Morning Britain: âIt was just so tense right into the last second, it was just amazing to watch.â
Meanwhile, Scott finished fourth in his medal race to end the event on 45 points overall, just three points ahead of second place in a nail-biting finish.
The 34-year-old retained the title he won at Rio 2016, finishing ahead of Hungaryâs Zsombor Berecz and Spainâs Joan Cardona Mendez.
Scott, from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, said: âI made it by the skin of my teeth, it was properly to the wire, it was really tight. I tried to stay relaxed but Iâve never been involved in a boat race as close as that.â
Scottâs father John described his pride as he and his wife Ros watched on at the National Sailing Academy in Weymouth, Dorset.
âIâm afraid I was up at 2.30am, I couldnât sleep â but fortunately there was plenty on the telly, so I was watching all the sport, getting ready for this ride,â the 69-year-old told PA.
âIâm proud for him as much Iâm proud of him⦠heâs shown his mettle by coming back into this boat, and after a really rocky first day, showing why he was defending Olympic champion.â
The couple spoke to their son via video call after his victory, when Mr Scott said his son told him âIâm relieved to see I didnât give you a heart attackâ.
The wins at Japanâs Enoshima Yacht Harbour took Britainâs gold medal haul to 13.
There was also a silver for Olympic debutants John Gimson and Anna Burnet in the mixed Nacra 17 class, who finished in fifth in the medal race to stay in second place behind Italians Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti.
Burnetâs mother Louise Burnet, from Shandon, Gare Loch, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, said she was âcompletely over the moonâ after the âawesome resultâ.
Mrs Burnet told PA: âWe would never ever have dreamed of this happening.âIâm a very proud mum.â
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the display on the water as a âbrilliant performanceâ.
Brilliant performance from @TeamGB, sailing away with two gold medals and a silver. #TeamGB #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/Edxtu8xArPâ Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1627982818
Elsewhere, Great Britain struck silver in the velodrome, with cyclist Jason Kenny equalling Sir Bradley Wigginsâ record medal tally of eight.
He missed the first of his three chances to move clear of Sir Chris Hoyâs Olympic gold medal tally as Team GB came second in the menâs team sprint, while his wife Laura Kenny and the womenâs team pursuit squad also had to settle for silver.
And there was another medal in the pool as Harrogateâs Jack Laugher, 26, bagged the third Olympic medal of his diving career with bronze in the menâs 3m springboard final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.