Britain doubled their gold-medal haul on the final day of the Olympic regatta with victories by the men’s four and the lightweight women’s double sculls yesterday, leaving the host nation top of the rowing medals table.

The British finished with nine medals – four golds, two silvers and three bronzes – to surpass the country’s record total of eight from the 1908 Olympics, which was also held in London.

Britain’s flagship four overcame big rival Australia to win the most eagerly anticipated race of the day. The celebrations among the packed home crowd were still in full flow by the time Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking eased to victory in the lightweight double.

New Zealand finished second in the rowing medals table with three golds.

Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist had captured Denmark’s only gold of the Olympic rowing regatta by winning a controversial lightweight men’s double sculls final that had to be restarted after the seat of one of the defending champion British crew came loose.

The Danes came through late to edge the British team of Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter by a quarter-length and better the bronze they won in the Beijing Games in 2008.

The British duo rowed to the side of the Dorney Lake course to get the seat fixed and then began quickest when the race restarted, establishing a lead of a second by the 1,500-meter mark.

But the experienced Rasmussen and Quist clawed their way back and overtook the British in the final 100 meters.

Rasmussen and Quist returned to form at the London Games after three lean years following their bronze in Beijing Games and world titles in the previous two years.

Meanwhile, Britain successfully defended its Olympic rowing title in the men’s four by beating big rival Australia to the gold medal at Dorney Lake.

The crew of Alex Gregory, Pete Reed, Tom James and Andrew Triggs Hodge secured Britain’s fourth straight Olympic victory in the event in dominant fashion, leading from start to finish to cross in 6 minutes, 3.97 seconds. Australia was a half-length behind in second and the United States took the bronze.

Britain, the reigning world champion, maintained its dominance of the discipline that stretches back more than two decades to the days of rowing greats Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent.

The gold was Britain’s seventh medal of the regatta – and third gold – to surpass its total from Beijing four years ago, making it the country’s biggest rowing haul in the modern era.

Their victory also denied Australia’s Drew Ginn a fourth gold in four Olympic Games - a feat that would have been a first for an Australian.

Triggs Hodge, the British stroke, repeatedly punched the air after sealing victory and the four crew members got in a huddle on the jetty after climbing out of the boat.

Later, Kat Copeland and Sophie Hosking became the third female British crew to capture gold, winning the lightweight women’s double sculls.

The British boat pulled clear in the last 750 metres to win in a time of 7 minutes, 9.30 seconds, a length and a half ahead of China. Greece took bronze.

No British woman had ever won rowing gold at the Olympics before this regatta, but Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins eased to victory in the double sculls on Friday and Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won the pair on Wednesday.