Happy and glorious! Stanning and Glover win Britain's first GOLD of the Games
Great Britain celebrated their first gold medal of the London Olympic Games after Helen Glover and Heather Stanning stormed to victory in the final of the women's pair.

The duo destroyed the field, winning by more than a length to make history at Eton Dorney as the first British female rowers to be crowned Olympic champions.

Australia pipped world champions New Zealand to win silver.

Oarsome: Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won Team GB's first gold of London 2012

Glover and Stanning punched the air as they crossed the line and embraced in the boat after winning gold in sensational fashion at their first Olympic Games.

Victory for Glover and Stanning completed a remarkable unbeaten season for the British pair, who came into the Olympics as favourites after winning gold all three World Cup regattas.

Happy and glorious: Stanning and Glover proudly display their historic gold medals

That dominance was fuelled by the pain of being beaten into silver by New Zealand at the 2011 world championships by just eight hundredths of a second.

Glover and Stanning underlined their gold medal credentials by setting a new Olympic best time to win their heat on the opening day of the regatta, demolishing the previous mark by over four seconds.

Glory: Glover and Stanning romped to victory, leading out from the start all the way to the end

MEDAL TABLE

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Today, they were cheered on to gold medal glory by Princess Anne, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

The British pair made a blistering start and they sprinted into a clear water lead over the Kiwis by the 500 metre time-check, an advantage they held through to half-way mark.

When Glover and Stanning hit the wall of sound generated by 26,000 supporters in the grandstands, they extended their lead to two lengths

Stanning told BBC1: 'I'm absolutely shattered and absolutely ecstatic all at the same time. I want to collapse but I'm just so overjoyed, I just want to jump around at the same time. I'm probably talking rubbish now.'

She felt the race went exactly to plan.

'We could see from all the races we've done this season, we've got out ahead and stayed there and tried to push on the margin,' she said. 'That's exactly what we tried to do today.'

'We wanted to keep the same margin we've had in all the World Cups.'

Glover appeared to be smiling in the last quarter of the race, but she said: 'It was probably a grimace. I don't remember smiling because I remember never ever ever thinking we've got this.'

She added that she hoped the performance would inspire others.

'If I can do it, just take the chance- not just rowing, anything,' she said. 'If you work hard, and try your best absolutely anyone can do anything.'

Australia and New Zealand closed the gap in the final quarter of the race but they were only battling for silver as Glover and Stanning cruised to the finish line - and their place in British and Olympic rowing history.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson told Press Association Sport: 'It is an absolutely fantastic result. First home gold and the first ever female rowing gold medal, so two pieces of Olympic history and a really great race.

Pure delight: The pair only took up the sport since the last Olympic Games in Beijing

Asked if it was the start of a British gold rush, he said: 'I hope so.'

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'Helen Glover and Heather Stanning's historic triumph will be celebrated throughout the country today.

'Not only have they achieved the first gold medal for Great Britain at London's Games, they have bagged the first ever rowing medal for Team GB's women at an Olympic Games.

Rule Britannia: Stanning and Glover show their gold medals to their supporters at Eton Dorney

'It's an outstanding achievement and I'm sure it will spur on all our athletes in the medal stakes. It's fantastic - Go Team GB!'

The British women's quadruple scull of Melanie Wilson, Debbie Flood, Frances Houghton and Beth Rodford could not emulate Glover and Stanning, finishing sixth in their final.

Ukraine, who were unbeaten through the World Cup series, produced a commanding performance to win gold. World champions Germany were beaten into silver medal position with the United States taking bronze.