Press Release: Day seven review

In the Women’s Single Sculls, Rumyana Neykova of Bulgaria has dreamed of Olympic gold ever since finishing in 8th place at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, silver at the 2000 Sydney Games and bronze at the 2004 Olympic Games. Taking a two-year break to have a second child, Neykova came back to the international rowing scene in 2007 with the aim to go to Beijing and grab that elusive Olympic gold medal. Today her dream has come true. Her arch opponent over the past eighteen years, two-time Olympic Champion Ekaterina Karsten-Khodotovitch, finished in third with bronze, and Michelle Guerrette of the USA took silver.

Olaf Tufte of Norway has done it again. Olympic Champion in the Men’s Single Sculls in Athens, Tufte has seen mixed results over the past four years, but today successfully defended his title ahead of rising star from the Czech Republic Ondrej Synek in second and three-time consecutive World Champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand in third.

In the Women’s Pair, Georgeta Andrunache-Damian won her fifth Olympic gold medal with crewmate Viorica Susanu, matching the Olympic gold medal tally of rowing legends Elisabeta Lipa of Romania and Steve Redgrave of Great Britain. China won its first rowing medal today in this event – silver – with You Wu and Yulan Gao rowing up the field from fourth in the last 200m. 2007 World Champions and third-place finishers at Athens, Yuliya Bichyk and Natallia Helakh from Belarus, earn another Olympic bronze.

Australia would win the first of two Olympic gold medals today in the Men’s Pair. With new partner Duncan Free, Drew Ginn successfully defended his Olympic title here in Beijing, earning his third Olympic gold medal. Finishing in second with silver were Canadians David Calder and Scott Frandsen who qualified for the Olympic Games just a few weeks ago at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Poznan, Poland. 2005 World Champions from New Zealand, Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater finished in third with bronze.

The Women’s Double Sculls saw the tightest finish of the day. Only one hundredth of a second separated gold from silver. Kiwi sisters Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell successfully defended their 2004 Olympic title in a time of 7:07.32, with Germany’s Annekatrin Thiele and Christiane Huth in silver position and Great Britain’s Elise Laverick and Anna Bebington in bronze.

Although having never previously medalled at a senior World Rowing Championships, Australia’s David Crawshay and Scott Brennan came here to win in the Men’s Double Sculls. Finishing first in their heat and in their semifinal, they planned to do the same in the Final. And they did, leading the field from the start. Estonia’s Jueri Jaanson, competing at his fifth Olympic Games, won his second Olympic silver with crewmate Tonu Endrekson. Matthew Wells and Stephen Rowbotham from Great Britain take bronze.

In the Men’s Four, Great Britain won a third consecutive Olympic title in this event – only Steve Williams remains from the Athens line-up. Australia won silver and France bronze.

B Finals earlier in the day ranked crews 7th to 12th overall in the lightweight boat classes.

Tomorrow will be the last day of racing at the 2008 Olympic Rowing Regatta and will feature Finals racing in the Group B boat classes: Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x), Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls, (LM2x), Lightweight Men’s Four (LM4-), Women’s Quadruple Sculls (W4x), Men’s Quadruple Sculls (M4x), Women’s Eight (W8+) and Men’s Eight (M8+).