US wins its first rowing Olympic gold medal in the men’s four class since 1960

VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France (AP) — When Liam Corrigan yelled out “red!” entering the final stages of the regatta, the rest of the American crew knew it was time to go hard.

They all gave it an extra push, picking up the pace just in time to fend off an attack from their rivals and secure the United States its first rowing gold medal in the men’s four class since 1960. It also was the first rowing gold for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.

Corrigan, Justin Best, Michael Grady and Nick Mead won the elusive gold on Thursday by beating out New Zealand and defending world champion Britain.

“When you make that call, ‘red!,’ you see ‘red,’” Best said. “You put your bowball out in front, some of the bigger strokes that you take in the race. Liam made that call ‘red!’ and I went with him, and I know Nick went and I could see Brady going because he’s right in front of me.

“That was enough to kind of like double that move and take us into our sprint,” he said. “So it was pretty flawless execution on the call. And we trusted each other to all make that move together. And it was effective.”

The last time the U.S. men’s four had stood on the Olympic podium was in 2012 in London, where it won bronze.

All four Americans who got the gold on Thursday were at the Tokyo Games three years ago but left without any medals. Best, Mead and Corrigan finished fourth in the eight class and Grady finished fifth in the four.

The four rowers have been together since last season, winning silver at the world championships last year and gold at the world cup race in Lucerne earlier this year.

“It’s literally unbelievable,” Corrigan said. “I crossed the line, I thought I was going to have some kind of celebration, but I was just in disbelief, like my hands were on my head. It was just crazy.”

In the men’s double sculls, Ben Davison and Sorin Koszyk came up short of a medal, finishing fourth.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

United States' Michael Grady, Nick Mead, Liam Corrigan and Justin Best celebrate their gold medal in the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

United States' Liam Corrigan, from left, Michael Grady, Justin Best and Nick Mead celebrate gold during a medals ceremony for the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Michael Grady, Nick Mead, Liam Corrigan and Justin Best compete in the men's four final near New Zealand's Tom Murray, Logan Ullrich, Matt MacDonald and Ollie MacLean, front, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

United States' Liam Corrigan, from left, Michael Grady, Justin Best and Nick Mead pose with the gold during a medals ceremony for the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Liam Corrigan, from left, Michael Grady, Justin Best and Nick Mead celebrate gold during a medals ceremony for the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Michael Grady, Nick Mead, Liam Corrigan and Justin Best celebrate gold in the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

United States' Liam Corrigan, Michael Grady, Justin Best and Nick Mead celebrate gold during a medals ceremony for the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Michael Grady, Nick Mead, Liam Corrigan and Justin Best celebrate gold in the men's four final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Vaires-sur-Marne, France. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Russia’s Federal Security Service on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said a decision has been made to withdraw their accreditation.

Russian state TV quoted an official from the security service known as the FSB as saying that they will be expelled. The expulsions come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks with President Joe Biden that will include Ukraine’s request to use Western-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia.

Starmer said on his way to the U.S. that Britain does not “seek any conflict with Russia.” “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away,” he told reporters.

“Ukraine has the right to self-defense and we’ve obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine’s right to self-defense — we’re providing training capability, as you know. But we don’t seek any conflict with Russia — that’s not our intention in the slightest,” he said.

The FSB said it received documents indicating that the diplomats were sent to Russia by a division of the U.K. Foreign Office “whose main task is to inflict a strategic defeat on our country,” and that they were involved in “intelligence-gathering and subversive activities.”

Based on these documents and “in response to numerous unfriendly steps by London,” the Russian Foreign Ministry withdrew the accreditation of the diplomats, the FSB said, without identifying them. It warned that if other diplomats are found to be carrying out “similar actions,” the agency “will demand early termination of their missions” to Russia.

Russian state TV said in a report that the six diplomats had met with independent media and rights groups that have been declared “foreign agents” — a label the Russian authorities have actively used against organizations and individuals critical of the Kremlin.

The British Embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. There was no immediate comment from Britain's Foreign Office.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in an online statement that “We fully agree with the assessments of the activities of the British so-called diplomats expressed by the Russian FSB. The British Embassy has gone far beyond the limits outlined by the Vienna Conventions." She said the diplomats were carrying out “subversive actions aimed at causing harm to our people.”

Expulsions of diplomats — both Western diplomats working in Russia and Russian diplomats working in Western countries — have become increasingly common since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian news outlet RBC counted last year that Western countries and Japan expelled a total 670 Russian diplomats between the beginning of 2022 and October 2023, while Moscow expelled 346 diplomats in response. According to RBC, it was more than in the previous 20 years combined.

In May the U.K. expelled Russia’s defense attaché in London, alleging he was an undeclared intelligence officer, and closed several Russian diplomatic properties in Britain that it said were being used for spying.

FILE - The British Embassy building, center, with the Russian Foreign Ministry building, second right, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)

FILE - Birds fly with the British Embassy building at center in the background in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)