Australia's women's eight rowing team may have finished last in their final on day six in London, but at least they all kept paddling.

The self-proclaimed "Motley Crew" gave it their all in an event that remains etched in the minds of Australian sports fans for all the wrong reasons.

The infamous "Lay Down Sally" incident at Athens in 2004, where Sally Robbins stopped paddling and fell back on a teammate during the women's eight final, polarised opinion.

News Limited journalist Paul Kent, who broke the story after chasing the Aussie boat into the marshalling area, reflected on the explosive story this week.

He recalled the hostility from Robbins's  Nike Air Max 95 teammates and the two distinct camps of opinion that emerged on the back of his story.

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"I've never seen an athlete just stop. Certainly, you get tired, you no longer perform like you can and you drop off, but to just stop competing was just astounding," Kent said.

"Some people were absolutely filthy about what I'd written and were challenging me to go to the gym and get on a rower.

"Other people were completely disgusted in what she'd done - that she'd given up on her seven teammates.

"Even today, when you bring it up you get very different opinions about it."

Re-live one of the most infamous moments in Australia's Olympic history by clicking on the video above.




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