Great Britain finished top of the medals table at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships for the first time after their men's eight beat the hosts and defending champions, the United States ©World Rowing

Great Britain claimed four titles on the final day of the World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton to finish top of the medal table for the first time with a best-ever performance of six golds and two silvers.

Italy, who won five golds yesterday, added one more today to total six overall but finished second with only one silver.

The highest profile British win came in the men's eight, where the golden hopes of hosts United States, who were defending their title at Nathan-Benderson Park, were turned into silver.

The British crew comprised four of the rowers who took silver behind the US last year in David Bewicke-Copley, Leonard Jenkins, William Stewart and Harvey Kay.

They were joined this year by Henry Blois-Brooke, Callum Sullivan, Matthew Rowe and Felix Drinkall, with Vlad Saigau coxing, and led from start to finish in Florida to take Britain's sixth and final gold medal of the competition in 5min 34.300sec.

The US took silver in 5:36.210 in front of The Netherlands who clocked 5:36.210.

The Dutch were triumphant in the women's eight where they won comfortably in 6:17.930 ahead of Britain, who recorded 6.22.520, and bronze medallists the US who were timed at 6:23.40 in the final race of the day.

Britain's Susannah Duncan won the lightweight women's single sculls in 7:58.28 from Johanna Reichardt of Germany, who finished in 7:59.98, and Austria's Lara Tiefenthaler who clocked 8:03.32.

Italy finished level with Britain on six golds at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships and won more medals with a total of 11 ©World Rowing
Italy finished level with Britain on six golds at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships and won more medals with a total of 11 ©World Rowing

Britain added further golds on the final day in both the men's and women's four.

In the women's race, Britain clocked 6:34.22 ahead of Ireland, on 6:35.68, and the hosts on 6:39.89.

The men's race saw Britain win in 5:51.58 from New Zealand, who recorded 5:52.26, and Italy, who stopped the watches at 5:55.56.

Twenty-one-year-old Ria Thompson contributed Australia's second gold of the Championships in the women's single sculls, overtaking the home favourite Emily Kallfelz in the final 40 metres to claim her first world title.

Clara Guerra of Italy won bronze.

Germany's Marc Weber won the men's single sculls in front of Stefanos Ntouskos of Greece and Jonas Juel of Norway respectively.

The US won their sole home gold medal today as Samuel Melvin triumphed in the lightweight men's single sculls.

Obbe Durk Tibben of The Netherlands won silver and Rainer Kepplinger of Austria bronze.

Overall Italy took the most medals with a total of 11.

One of their six golds came in the women's coxed four that set a new under-23 world's best time yesterday.