Gold rush continues for Team GB

With more golds expected on Monday, Britain was on course to break new records as it climbed to third in the overall medals table.

After Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson sailed to success in the Yngling regatta, rowers Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter stormed to a gold medal in the lightweight double sculls. The jubilation went on as sailing great Ben Ainslie clinched gold for the third consecutive Games before Rebecca Romero - a rowing silver medallist in 2004 - wrote her name into the history books by winning her cycling final.

There was even an unexpected bronze in the gymnastics as teenager Louis Smith exceeded expectations on the pommel horse, becoming the first individual British gymnast to gain a podium place for a century.

The Prime Minister said the haul of 17 medals - including eight golds - in a single weekend was "a superb and unprecedented achievement". "I want to send my congratulations to Team GB on this golden weekend for British sport," he said in a statement. "The whole country has been watching and has been thrilled by Team GB. We are immensely proud of what they have achieved so far, and inspired by their performance."

The Queen invited Team GB's athletes to Buckingham Palace for congratulatory drinks after taking a "keen interest" in their success, a royal spokeswoman said.

The ninth day of Britain's "great haul of China" began with success in the Yngling class regatta. Webb, who also won a gold with "three blondes in a boat" in Athens four years ago, said she was speechless. The 31-year-old, from Weybridge, Surrey, said: "I'm lost for words, it is such a relief. Our experience was everything, we stayed sure and we got better."

The success on the water continued shortly after as Hunter and Purchase lived up to their billing as favourites for top spot. Roared on by the crowd, Purchase, 22, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and Hunter beat world silver medallists Greece by half a length, with world champions Denmark third.

Within half-an-hour Britain completed their memorable treble when Ainslie, 31, from Macclesfield, thrashed the opposition in his race. Ainslie, who first won a medal in Atlanta in 1996, said his parents were at home watching on television. "It is a shame they were weren't here but huge thanks to them," he told the BBC.

History was then made at the Laoshan Velodrome when Romero became the first British woman to be presented with Olympic medals in two separate sports. After beating fellow Briton Wendy Houvenaghel in the women's 3km pursuit, she said victory felt "magical".