2 August 2012 Last updated at 14:05 ET

Support overwhelming: says Olympic medallist Peter Chambers

After a nailbiting finish, the GB team collected their silver medals

Peter Chambers, who along with his brother Richard won a silver medal in the lightweight men's four rowing final said the support from back home in Northern Ireland has been overwhelming.

The Coleraine brothers have become Northern Ireland's first Olympic medallists of the London games.

The pair were part of the Great Britain rowing team which included Rob Williams and Chris Bartley.

They were pipped at the winning post by South Africa on Thursday.

Although Great Britain had been the favourite to win, they were beaten in an epic tussle, with Denmark clinching a bronze medal.

Richard Chambers said they had done all they could to win a gold medal.

"We've trained for three or four years for an Olympic gold medal and that's what we set out to achieve," he said.

"We gave it our all, we did everything we possibly could, we fought to the very last stroke and we've won a very well-earned and well-fought silver medal."

His brother Peter paid tribute to the support the team, completed by Rob Williams and Chris Bartley, had received.

"The 30,000 people there, British supporters supporting us, was incredible," he said.

"But for us the support from back home in Northern Ireland is one of the most important things for us, it's been overwhelming.

"We're so thankful for the support from our small country and especially Coleraine."

Northern Ireland's last golds were won by Jimmy Kirkwood and Stephen Martin, who were part of the GB hockey squad, in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Olympics coverage online

Sir Steve Redgrave, who won his first gold medal in 1984, had predicted gold for the Chambers brothers, but Northern Ireland is still waiting for its first gold in almost 25 years.

Only three other competitors from Northern Ireland have won gold medals in the summer games; Mary Peters, Jimmy Kirkwood and Stephen Martin. Robin Dixon clinched gold at the 1964 winter Olympics in Innsbruck.

The Chambers brothers discovered their rowing skills on the River Bann as teenagers.

Peter, a world champion, took up rowing at Bann Rowing Club in Coleraine at just 13 under the guidance of Seamus Reynolds.

Richard, is a two-time world champion, who competed in the Beijing Olympics four years ago. He began rowing at the age of 15, under the guidance of coach Bobby Platt, MBE

Both men studied at Oxford Brookes university.

Jeff Bones from Bann Rowing Club described the brothers as "two cool, calm customers".

He said the event would "go down in history".

"Two guys from the one family, from the one club, representing Great Britain in the Olympic final of the lightweight fours, it's unbelievable," he said.

Pastor Trevor Watson from Coleraine Baptist Church said there was great excitement in the town. A big screen had been erected inside the church for supporters.