THERE was joy and jubilation in the extended Beaumont family in the early hours of Wednesday morning when Jack Beaumont and his teammates made it across the finish line to take the silver medal in the men's quadruple sculls place during the 2021 Olympic Games.

There was one particularly proud man glued to the screen – Jack’s brother, Matthew, who is the Alliance Party representative for Fermanagh South Tyrone.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Matthew said: “It was a surprise; as the saying goes, 'There is no such thing as a broke bookmaker', and if you followed the odds, they were low for the team.

"But during the race they flew out like bats out of hell and kept pace with the Australians, and then they pulled ahead of the Australians.”

Jack follows in his father’s footsteps as his father, Peter, competed in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul in the Men's Coxed Eights, where he finished fourth.

This is not Jack’s first Olympics. The 27-year-old was the youngest Team GB athlete to head to Rio in 2016.

Praising his brother, Matthew said: “It is the amalgamation of 15 years of incredibly hard work for Jack. He has been rowing since he was 12.

“Only Jack knows what his next move will be, but now is the time to celebrate.”

Matthew said his family were all touched by the interest of Fermanagh and Tyrone residents in his brother’s Games journey.

He said: “What I find quite magical is just how many people from across Fermanagh and Tyrone have been in contact and have been researching Jack and his story.”