AFTER 15 years, Paul Rafferty could finally say it – ‘congratulations’.

He had stood next to the water in Duisberg, back in 2001, when an 18-year-old Matthew Langridge became the first British male to win gold in a single scull at the World Junior Rowing Championships.

Even then, it was the only colour medal the teenager was interested in racing for.

That much has never changed.

At Northwich Rowing Club’s annual prize-giving party on Sunday, members presented to Langridge their most prestigious award – the George Musker Trophy.

He had taken a replica home previously, but not since 2009.

And of course, never as an Olympic champion.

While those squeezed into a wooden clubhouse next to the River Weaver were applauding loudly, Rafferty stood to face them.

He had coached a raw, unrefined novice from the moment he first sat in a boat on the River Weaver.

That tall, rangy teenager – who often fell into the water during those first few months – went on to become the best sculler he has seen.

“I’ve waited a long time for this moment,” he said.

“I don’t usually like to say much, or to stand in front of an audience like this to speak.

“In the past I remember being criticised, called miserable even, for not saying ‘well done’ after Matt had returned from Beijing and then London with a medal.

“The truth is I know just how much it means to him to win, to get the one he’s always wanted.”

Rafferty turned to Langridge, stood to his right, while he recalled an interview with the Guardian shortly after the men’s eight final in Rio this summer.

He had watched the British crew storm clear of Germany, the defending champions, on a new television at home with his wife Jo.

His preference was for a quiet scene – a contrast to the frenzied hysteria at the club among those that gathered on a sunny Sunday afternoon in August.

He said: “I was asked if I’d felt nervous beforehand, and my answer was ‘yes’.

“I was worried the weather might ruin things, just as it has done in the past.

“Something else bugged me too.

“If Matt hadn’t have crossed that line first, and got another gold to go with the one he had won 15 years earlier, then he would have considered everything else in between a waste of time.

“What would I have said to him if he didn’t win? How would he have reacted? I didn’t know then, and I still don’t.

“But luckily none of that matters.”