Oliver James and his GB mixed coxed four team have won gold at the Rio Paralympics.

The 25-year-old, along with Pamela Relph, Grace Clough, Daniel Brown and James Fox, were the favourites going into Sunday’s race and defended the gold that GB won at London 2012 by finishing ahead of the USA and Canada.

They are the reigning world champions, having won gold last year in Aiguebelette, France, and have been the world champions/Paralympic champions since 2011 having not lost a race during that time.

They were part of a historic day for GB’s rowers on Sunday as they took three gold medals and a bronze.

James, who is from Stevenage and went to Nobel School, started coxing in 2009 at the University of Warwick while studying for a BA in philosophy. He signed up for the boat club in his first year and continued with them during his studies before progressing on to Berkshire-based rowing club, Leander, and then the GB team.