WYE cox Jack Tottem and the GB women's rowing eight battled to a last-gasp bronze at the World Rowing Championships in China.

The crew were neck and neck with Germany heading into the final 250m in Shanghai in Saturday's six-boat final, but the Old Monmothian Boat Race Blue from Devauden got his crew up on the line by just 0.17 secs to repeat the third place of last year's Paris Olympics boat.

The Dutch dominated the final from the off, storming into a near one-length lead from Romania at 500m, with GB back in fifth.

And there was clear water between the two frontrunners at half-way, with GB still fifth over 1/2L off third-placed Germany and needing to make a move.

But Tottem, whose steering helped Oxford's men win the 2022 Boat Race, knows all about handling pressure moments, and he called his crew back past the USA into fourth with 500m to race, where they were now just a 1/4L behind the Germans.

And with a grandstand finish lifting the rate above 40 strokes a minute, GB just squeezed their bows in front for third 3/4L behind Romania, with the Dutch a length to the good in gold.

It was a first senior world medal for a Monmouth rower since fellow OM Tom Lucy took world men's 8s gold in Munich in 2007, followed by Olympic silver in Beijing the following year.

But it follows a long tradition of local Wye success, with OM Charlie Wiggin taking Olympic pairs bronze and Colin Moynihan steering the men's 8 to silver in Moscow in 1980, and Robin Williams, Jim Hartland and Mark Partridge all landing senior world medals in the 1980s and 1990s.

And although Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne from St Weonards did her rowing elsewhere, the Paris 2024 double sculls bronze medallist and 2017 world medallist has also used the Monmouth RC and Monmouth School RC facilities to train when back at her family home.

Jack jokingly posted after Shanghai success: "Spent all summer trying to get a tan, so nice to finish with a bronze...

"Thanks to everyone for all the support; it absolutely does make it all possible!"

The only man in a woman's world, the former Monmouth School RC captain had told BBC Wales Sport before the final: "For me, the challenge is the same in any eight. You've got nine people in the boat, a coach on the bank, and the job is to create unity of purpose. That's what really matters."

He steered one of the best ever Monmouth School 8s, containing future World U23 champions Iwan Hadfield and Robbie Prosser, to National Schools and Schools' Head class wins in 2019.

And lifting the lid on how he became a world class steersman, Jack said: "I was always obsessed with sport growing up.

"But I was smaller and less athletic than most, and would always get smashed around on the rugby pitch. Coxing was something I could sink my teeth into though, and it allowed me to be involved in a team sport without my lack of physicality inhibiting that.

"It's felt like a nice progression to get to this point."

And following a season that also brought European and World Cup gold, he told the BBC how he keeps control of eight super athletic women, saying: "I've made a conscious effort to get to know everyone individually.

"My role is about relieving pressure from the athletes, and helping each of them to be the fullest version of themselves.

"If we get the most out of everyone's personality, then we build a real crew identity – and I think we've done good work on that.

"It's been quite an intense season in many ways. We sat down as a team and as a crew and set some really clear goals...

"But I try and say to myself as often as possible that we're living the dream. I feel privileged to do this, and am grateful for the support we get from UK Sport and the Lottery.”

Jack was one of 10 Welsh members of the GB team, including Amsterdam-raised crew mate Eve Stewart, who has Welsh parents, PR1 singles gold medallist Ben Pritchard, men's 8s silver medallists Matt Rowe and Matthew Aldridge, and quad silver medallists Becky Rowe and Cedol Dafydd.

"There's a good group of us in the team now, which is nice. It feels like a big Welsh family within the wider GB set-up," added Jack.