This year’s Olympics has been all about rewriting history.
Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh became the first same-sex married couple to win gold medals together in the same event, when Britain beat defending champions Netherlands in women’s hockey, winning 2-0 in a tense shootout following a hard-fought 3-3 draw.
Helen scored the first goal in the shootout, a penalty stroke.
“It’s really, really special,” Kate said as she stood next to Helen. “To win an Olympic medal is special. To win an Olympic medal with your wife there next to you, taking a penalty in the pressure moments is so special, and we will cherish this for the rest of our lives.”
36-year-old Richardson-Walsh has been the captain of the national team since 2003.
The couple had already become the first lesbian-couple to play together in a team since 2008.
Kate and Helen played their first Olympic Games in 2000 and reportedly started their romance in 2008, won a bronze together at London 2012 and got married in 2013.
Great Britain has reportedly had the highest number of openly gay athletes at Rio, with eight out of 44.
(With inputs from AP.)