Flood (top-right) won silver in the quadruple scull at the Beijing Olympics

Rower Debbie Flood has praised the Great Britain squad after they topped the medal table at the World Championships in Karapiro, New Zealand.

The British team, which is based in Berkshire, took the top-spot for the first time and finished with five gold medals, five silvers and a bronze.

The 30-year-old won gold in the quadruple scull.

Flood told BBC Berkshire: "It's been a fantastic week and the most successful Championships we've ever had."

She added: "We're doing so well and it's an exciting squad to be a part of."

The Olympic silver medallist was rowing alongside Beth Rodford, Frances Houghton and Annabel Vernon for the first time in a competitive race, and said she was happy with their performance despite choppy conditions.

"It was our first championships as this particular four," Flood explained.

"We raced our heat completely not knowing what was going to happen, so it was a relief to get through the heat and to the final," continued the 30-year-old.

We had to not panic and really focus on rowing as well as we could in horrific weather conditions Debbie Flood

"We knew in the final there were five boats that were capable of getting medals. We had to not panic and really focus on rowing as well as we could in horrific weather conditions.

"We had a fantastic race, it wasn't quite as close as we thought it would be, but still close enough," she added.

The GB side claimed top-spot with four gold medals, four silvers and a bronze in the 14 Olympic-class events, while the Paralympic team also won a gold and silver medal.

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