ROWING superstars Helen Glover and Heather Stanning have dedicated their second Olympic women’s pairs title to their Chepstow-born coach after crushing the field in Rio.

Monmouth Rowing Club member Robin Williams came through lifesaving surgery for cancer just two years ago, and the emotional duo hailed him ’the best coach’ on the planet straight after defending their London 2012 title.

“Without Robin we would be nobody," said 31-year-old Army officer Stanning. "Without Robin we wouldn’t be the team we are. He’s 100 per cent the third member in our boat. He’s the best coach in the world.”

After coming ashore at the stunning Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas course in Rio, Cardiff Metropolitan graduate Glover, 30, added: “People will think we’re exaggerating when we say how important our coach is. The first person we wanted to see was Robin Williams because every stroke we took out there was down to him.

“He had a really bad illness during this Olympiad and you wouldn’t even know it. He was up coaching when he should have been in bed.

“His passion got us the gold in this event. Neither of us would doubt that for one second. It’s just all him, we couldn’t have done it without him. There’s three of us – but it’s him.”

Glover and Stanning visited him in hospital in early 2014 as Williams, who learnt to row at Monmouth School under the then Wales team manager John Hartland in the 1970s, fought cancer, before returning to the towpath that April.

A misty-eyed Stanning, 31, said: “I’ve been an emotional wreck this week — maybe that’s a bit extreme but it means such a lot. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to train with, or a better coach."

Former chief Cambridge Boat Race coach Williams, 57, who grew up in Mounton near Chepstow, took on the two rookie rowers six months before the 2010 world championships in New Zealand, and amazingly helped transform them into world silver medallists within six months.

And after golden glory in London four years ago, the duo came into the Olympics on the back of a 36-race unbeaten streak stretching back to the 2011 worlds, where they finished second just feet off gold.

Williams spoke before Rio of how every victory made it harder for the rest of the world to take them down, and so it proved, as the peerless pair stormed into the final in search of their 39th win in a row.

And victory never looked in doubt, as the British duo effectively won the race during a devastating opening 1000m as they blasted off the blocks, quickly opening up a clear-water lead over the rest of the field.

They led by more than three seconds from Denmark’s Hedvig Rasmussen and Anne Anderson at half-way and had more than 2L with 500m to race.

And it was only in the closing stages, as New Zealand’s Genevieve Behrent and Rebecca Scown and the Danes battled for silver that the lead was cut.

In the end the Brits won by just short of a boat length from the Kiwis, but the result was never in doubt as Glover and Stanning stormed home with water to spare.

Glover said: “It’s really difficult to put this feeling into words. To defend your title is something very, very special.

"The first time we did it, it took a long time to realise we were Olympic champions and it was all new to us. This time round, we crossed the line and we were 2016 champions and we felt like that straight away.

“Four minutes into this I knew I was going to be Olympic champion. In London I just couldn’t place myself as Olympic champion; it happens to other people not to me. I had so convinced myself it was just another race.”

Williams told The Daily Telegraph: “I had cancer two years ago and that was a difficult time. It was January, so at least it wasn’t in the rowing season. The pair were a big, big part of my fight back.

“I didn’t lack drive to get better but it was an extra incentive. They were fantastic that year and now we’ve got to Rio 2016 and won I feel we have completely written the last chapter of the book with the best ending possible for all of us.

"Whatever happens next we can hold this moment as a nugget in our memories and be proud and thrilled forever."

He added: "They’re not actually that big as athletes in their class of rowing. They’re both under 70 kilos so they’re at the smaller end of it. But they’re very skilful. They don’t waste any energy.

“The biggest thing for me is what’s between the ears. They row well but their personalities work – although they’re quite different.

"They’re very good thinkers, very professional and diligent, and I think the way you keep runs like that going is to treat every race as the first one. Never be complacent, never have an expectation that it’s going to work out for you.

“We go over our basic planning every time. We consider a thousand what-ifs. Year on year those things crop up – and those things add to your pool of experience, like in the heat, when we had quite a tough race. That’s the closest anyone’s got to us.

 “There’s not an ounce of arrogance or expectation. Everything has to be worked for and earned.

“London 2012 was my first Olympic gold as a coach. You think, from your bucket list – I’ve done that, why would two make a difference?

“Heather came back (after a year off in 2013) and had to race for her seat back. So it didn’t feel: same old, same old. It felt fresh and new.

"There was still plenty to prove, and you do like feeling you have a bit of a reputation to defend. You like feeling you’re top dog. The challenge re-shapes itself.

“If we’d lost that gold medal, it would have been a disaster. At least that’s how people would have looked at it. They would have said – ‘Why didn’t you win?"

But victory was never in doubt as his charges took the race by the scruff of the neck and stormed home.