London 2012 Olympics: Patience is a virtue as pair promise: We’ll be back

The pair trailed the Australian team going into yesterday’s final race in the highly competitive 470 dinghy class and were unable to pull off the result that would have seen them capture top spot.

But there was no regret from the Brits after crossing the finish line at Weymouth behind Aussies Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page.

“It’s great,” said Patience, from Aberdeen. “It’s just so good. It’s been three, four years hard work together. It’s been 15 years up there [in his head] and we’re here standing on an Olympic podium.”

He added “It’s not gold but there’s plenty of time. We’re young boys and we’ll be coming back and we’ll mean business next time round yet again.”

Team GB’s medal haul at London 2012 is now 54 – 25 gold, 15 silver and 14 bronze.

And staying with sailing, Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark took silver in the women’s 470.

The boxers have won one bronze and at least one silver and two bronzes are guaranteed in bouts to come.

But there was disappointment for gold-medal-hopeful Shanaze Reade, who could only finish sixth in the women’s BMX at the London 2012 Velopark.

Despite missing out on gold, Patience and Bithell said they were confident they would be back to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Speaking after their race, Bithell said: “We tried to attack them [the Australians] when we could. Hands to them, they held their nerve and are worthy champions. We are happy with second.”

Their parents were just as pleased back on the shore.

Patience’s father John, who was watching with the Bithells, said he was “absolutely delighted”. He added: “We are just having a ball, we are so pleased about this today.”

When Patience and his friend and team mate won their hard-fought spot to sail for Team GB in the Olympics he insisted that was not the peak of their ambitions. “We’re absolutely not just going for the T-shirt,” he declared.

Patience and Bithell teamed up three years ago. Their silver at the 2011 Worlds in Perth, Australia helped them secure their berth in the Olympic team.

Born in the same month, they both started sailing at a young age, though hundreds of miles apart.

Patience grew up in Rhu near Helensburgh on the Firth of Clyde.

The 26-year-old helmsman, who has a pre-race superstition of tasting the water he is due to sail in the night before, started racing competitively when he was nine, participating in regattas around Scotland.

By the age of 18 he was an international competitor across a range of classes.

“I think there’s something special about mother nature and the ocean,” he said in the build-up to the Games.

“It’s something to be massively respected. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else in my life but involve myself in doing something with the ocean.”

Bithell, 25, started off sailing with father, Les, in a wooden Firefly dinghy at Hollingworth Lake sailing club, in Lancashire.

Meanwhile, in the boxing camp, Anthony Ogogo won bronze yesterday and Luke Campbell, Fred Evans, and Anthony Joshua are all hoping to emulate the success of Nicola Adams who has become the first Olympic woman boxing champion.

Campbell won his semi-final yesterday and will go for gold or silver today. Evans, and Joshua were both guaranteed at least a bronze.

Adams hopes her historic gold will inspire the four boxers.

She said: “I’ve got the gold medal now and hopefully that will inspire the lads to go on and get more gold.

“I’d tell them to stay focused and relaxed when you get in the arena, hear the crowd and suck it all up. They’re here to support you, so make the most of it.”

There was more British success when Lutalo Muhammad, a controversial selection for the taekwondo team ahead of world number one Aaron Cook, won his first-round contest to advance to the quarter-finals.

But there was disappointment for taekwondo champion Sarah Stevenson, who said her parents would have been proud of her, even though her Olympic gold medal hopes were dashed.

Stevenson was selected for London 2012 just months after losing both of them to cancer last year.

The Duchess of Cambridge was seen cheering for the British women’s hockey team as they claimed their bronze medal.

The Duchess sat with gold medal winners Dame Kelly Holmes and Katherine Grainger, as she cheered the Team GB women to victory against New Zealand.

After the match, the Duchess hugged team captain Kate Walsh and praised the players.

Victorious team captain Kate Walsh, who fractured her her jaw after being hit by a stick during a game last week, said: “She said congratulations.”