Mum proud of her golden boy's win

Mahe Drysdale's biggest fan could be spotted in the crowd supporting the Kiwi crews during each day of the Olympic rowing regatta but there is one particular moment she will remember forever.

His mother Robin Owens, of Mount Maunganui, was in the crowd watching as her son finally won the gold medal he had been working towards for more than eight years.

"It was amazing really, really amazing. It was so wonderful to see Mahe so happy," she said.

"It was really emotional for all of us, especially after Beijing. I really admire his tenacity.

"He just hung in there."

Drysdale had to settle for bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after falling sick in the days before his final.

Ms Owens was impressed with the way her son raced and his ability to keep his pace up over the whole 2000m.

"I felt it was a very different race to anything Mahe had ever done.

"Mahe just stayed ahead the whole time. He just kept pushing. I just found it amazing that he had the energy to do it."

Drysdale had a large support crew cheering him on with many of his aunts, uncles, cousins and friends flying to London to see him race but Ms Owens says it was not just Kiwis urging him on.

"People from all over the world have come up to me and said, 'I just want Mahe to win. He deserves it'. It was a really, really popular win," Ms Owens said.

Even while they were having dinner to celebrate the victory, Drysdale was being mobbed by English people wanting to congratulate him, she said.