Grace Clough, Dan Brown, Pamela Relph, James Fox and cox Oliver James kept their World Championships crown in France today in a thrilling contest which saw the USA push them all the way to the line.
America got off to a lightning start and, at the finish, only just over two tenths separated the crews. Canada won the battle for bronze but were eight seconds off the winning time. The four's gold meant that GB has been unbeaten in this event since 2011.
"Truth be told, I didn't think we'd got it until 15 seconds after the line and GBR came up on the screen", said Relph.
"That was the toughest race of my life", said Clough. "Credit to them, that was a great race".
Fox added: "We knew they would be quick off the start but expected our race pace to bring us back. But that didn't happen so it was down to just grit and determination that got us there".
Brown said: "It was really really good to win. Nice to get the gold. We knew coming into it that it was going to be close. Now we've got a lot of hard training to do over the winter".
Cox James dded: "This time was a different experience for us. I felt them breathing down our necks. Credit to them. We can use the close race for next year. We have to push on now for next year".
Gold for the four had been preceded by a trio of GB slivers in a hugely successful World Championships for the para-rowing squad.
Rachel Morris far exceeded her own expectations here in France to win one of the sport's more remarkable medals.. The double leg amputee, who underwent shoulder surgery just 18 weeks ago, took silver in the arms-shoulders single scull at the World Championships.
Before today's final Morris, from Farnham, had said: "The aim here was to qualify the boat for Rio - to finish in the top eight. I haven't let myself think about the final".
Now she can go away with memories of the medal she took by coming back on the fast-starting Norwegian Birgit Skarstein to secure second spot behind Israel's Moran Samuel. Gold went to the Israeli in 5:25.92 and silver to Morris in 5:27.02 with Norway's bronze in 5;31.94.
An elated Morris, a former hand-cycling Paralympic champion until transferring to rowing just over two years ago, said afterwards: "It's massive. To be able to come from another sport and to be able to win a medal a year out from Rio is huge. It's really cool"
In the men's arms-shoulders single scull Tom Aggar used his trademark strong second half to get back into medal contention in today's final. At halfway he was fourth in a race being led convincingly by Australia's Erik Horrie who went on to win in 4:55.55.
The next 500m proved crucial as Londoner Aggar used his strength and technique to get up to peak speed and overhaul Igor Bondar of Ukraine to take silver on the line in 4:51.09. Horrie's gold came in 4:45.50 and Bondar's bronze in 4:51.70.
Aggar said: "I am really pleased with the silver and I'm now looking forward to next year. Great to see Rachel and the others do so well, too".
Lauren Rowles and Laurence Whiteley got off to a flying start in their mixed double scull (TAMix2x) final in a tight field where Brazil, France, Australia and the GB Rowing Team all had medals within their reach. As the race moved to halfway the Australians were leading and Rowles and Whieteley, from Bromsgrove and Northallerton respectively, went with them.
For such a rookie double there was the somewhat bizarre sense that they might - just a few short months after combining in the boat - surprise everyone and take the gold only for Australia to find another gear when it counted to take the verdict in 4:03.51 to GB's 4:04.03. France won the bronze.
"So far so good", said Whiteley afterwards. " We have only been rowing together for two or three months and I'm looking forward to next year".
Rowles added: "The dream outcome was for us to make the A final but for us to do this [win a medal], no words can explain it. We just kept pushing and pushing for that line and the outcome was immense".
Whiteley had persisted with his lonely training schedule for two years hoping that a suitably classified female would emerge. Teenager Rowles came to the fore after a chance meeting between her and GB Rowing Team staff when both were at Stoke Mandeville hospital recently. She had previously raced for England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year in the wheelchair track events.