Britain storm to gold in men's four

DORNEY, England (Reuters) - Britain powered to victory to beat their fierce Australian rivals to take gold in the men's four on Saturday in a thrilling showdown that matched its billing as the race of the Olympic regatta.

The victory on Dorney Lake before 30,000 screaming fans gave Britain its fourth consecutive win in the men's four and took the host nation's medal tally on the course to seven, making it the most successful Olympic rowing regatta for the country in the modern era.

The win for the British in a race dubbed an "Ashes" showdown, almost on a par with the cricketing rivalry between the two countries, also denied Drew Ginn the chance to become the first Australian to win gold in four Olympic Games.

Britain had gained an early edge going into the final when they beat the Australian boat in the semi-final. That had followed days of tough talking from Ginn who had said the British boat were scared of racing them.

Britain pulled out a lead of a few feet off the start and held on down the 2,000 metre course to prevent the Australians coming back at them. The United States took the bronze.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; For all the latest Olympic news go to http://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012)