The Irwin family from Sault Ste Marie are in London taking in the 2012 London Olympics watching two relatives from Southern Ontario competing in the Men's Eight Rowing and the 200m women’s breaststroke.

The Canadian Men's Eight won Olympic silver in a thrilling finish at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The defending Olympic champions posted a powerful sprint in the last 250 metres of the race, passing Great Britain and challenging Germany in the heavyweight event at Eton Dorney. 

It is the first silver medal for Canada at London 2012. 

"They defended their title with that effort," said CTVOlympics analyst and retired Olympic rower Barney Williams. "Whether it's a gold or silver, it' still a tremendous performance." 

Germany won gold at the event; they were the favourite to win, continuing an undefeated streak that started in 2009. 

Great Britain won bronze. 

Team Canada got off to a rough start in the event, placing last in their heat on Day 1, and rowed through the repechage to advance to the final. 

"I still don't believe it," said crew member and team captain Malcolm Howard after the race. 

Howard, 29, of Victoria is one of three returning members from the Beijing 2008 gold medal-winning team, along with Andrew Byrnes, 29, of Toronto and coxswain Brian Price, 36, of Belleville, Ont. They are joined by first-time Olympians Gabe Bergen, 30, of 100 Mile House, B.C., former university linebacker Jeremiah Brown, 26, of Cobourg, Ont., Will Crothers, 25, of Kingston, Ont., Doug Csima, 26, of Oakville, Ont., Robert Gibson, 26, of Kingston, Ont., and Conlin McCabe, 21, from Brockville, Ont. 

The men credit their performance to the race plan implemented by head coach Mike Spracklen, as well as the leadership of Price. 

"He knew when to crack the whip," said Howard. "And he waited the perfect amount." 

In 2001, he won the collegiate, Under-23 and Open men's championships at the C.R.A.S.H.-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, USA (his pull of 5:48 for 2,000m on the ergometer was good enough for all three titles. 

McCabe grew up playing hockey in Brockville, Ontario, attended Brockville Collegiate Institute where he was named the 2008 Male Athlete of the Year and now studies Geography at the University of Washington (however, he did take the past year off from his studies to train full-time for the Olympic Games). In 2011, he was ranked #19 on U.S. rower Megan Kalmoe’s annual list of the “20 Hottest Male Rowers.” 

Conlin’s cousin, Martha McCabe from Leaside, just outside of Toronto took to the pool Wednesday, Aug. 1, morning for her first and only event at the London Olympics. 

The heats for the 200m women’s breaststroke got underway just before 10:45 a.m. London time (5:45 a.m. in Toronto) at the Aquatic Centre in London, and as the current reigning world bronze medallist in the event. 

McCabe qualified to swim again in the semi-finals at 8:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Sault Ste Marie time). 

McCabe is set swim in the second last of the five qualifying heats along with the 2011 silver medalist from Russia. The top 16 of the 34 women will make it into the semis. 

The finals will go at Thursday, Aug. 2, at 7:40 p.m. (2:40 p.m. Sault Ste Marie time). 

McCabe, 22, grew up in the Bennington Heights neighbourhood, attending Bennington Heights Public School, Cosburn Middle School and then on to Leaside High School. 

Now training on the west coast with the Vancouver Dolphins, she competed out of the Granite Club on Bayview Avenue as a youth.