ParalympicsGB had a near-perfect morning with three golds and a silver from four straight races at the Vaires-sur-Marne Stadium.
Rowles, 26, looked elated after claiming that historic third Paralympic gold in the PR2 mixed doubles with former Royal Engineer commando Stevenson after a thrilling final.
It was stunning victory. The Brits had been more than a boat length behind China’s Shang Liu and Jijian Jian but moved up the gears in the last 300m to beat them on the line.
The pair had been the overwhelming favourites going into the final having set a new world record in the qualifying heats.
Rowles also won the race at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 with former partner Laurence Whitely.
On their narrow victory, Rowles said: “It’s the Paralympic Games, you either show up or you show out and I said that in the first race that it was going to come down to the line.
“The level of competition is high and I said to Gregg, when I say go you go and he did that today and we just went for it. [We] stayed in our lane, did our own thing and came through as champions.”
Benjamin Pritchard had led the medal charge with gold in the men’s PR1 single sculls ahead of Italy’s Giacomo Perini, after also setting a Paralympic record in qualifying.
Great Britain’s PR3 mixed coxed four crew continued the golden run. Frankie Allen, Giedre Rakauskaite, Josh O’Brien and Ed Fuller, coxed by Erin Kennedy, retained the title they won in Tokyo.
And to finish off the morning, GB’s Annabel Caddick and Samuel Murray secured silver in the PR3 mixed double sculls after holding off the threat of German duo Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein. Australia’s Nikki Ayers and Jed Altschwager claimed the gold.
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