But then other crews appeared. A photo-finish denied Searle and Coode their place on the rostrum. And afterwards the eyes of two great big athletes filled with tears as they tried to explain what had gone wrong, how four years of frustrations and disappointment had led not to final glory, but to fourth. Redgrave's crew were about to put it all right for us. For everyone, bar a pair whose Olympic role was suddenly nothing more than to provide the shade for somebody else's light.
Memorable moments can sometimes be the cruel ones.