Press Release: Rowing's final Olympic medals awarded

In the Lightweight Women's Double Sculls, Marit van Eupen and Kirsten van der Kolk from the Netherlands had golden shoes installed in their boat to remind them of their Olympic dream at every stroke. After making the Olympic Final in 2000 and winning Olympic bronze in 2004, van der Kolk took a break from rowing to become a mother and van Eupen rowed to three consecutive world titles in the lightweight single. The duo joined forces again last winter with the aim to go for Olympic gold. Today their dream has come true. Finland's Sanna Sten and Minna Nieminen took silver and Melanie Kok and Tracy Cameron from Canada took bronze.

After world bronze in 2007, Great Britain's Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter have been unbeaten in the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls throughout the 2008 Rowing World Cup season and on 10 August set a new Olympic Best Time in their event. Today they led their race throughout and took gold ahead of Vasileios Polymeros and Dimitrios Mougios from Greece and two-time World Champions Mads Rasmussen and Rasmus Quist from Denmark.

Eskild Ebbesen is Denmark's most medalled rower. The Olympics in Beijing were his fourth and he came with a pedigree of two Olympic golds and one Olympic bronze. After Athens, Ebbesen left the rowing scene, but feeling he had enough energy remaining to win yet again, came back in 2007 with a third Olympic gold on his mind. At 36, and despite mixed results last year and during the 2008 Rowing World Cup season, Ebbesen and crewmates Thomas Ebert, Morten Joergensen and Mads Andersen rowed to gold, Poland followed in silver and Canada in bronze.

Much was at stake in the Women's Quadruple Sculls. Three-time World Champions Great Britain were hoping to be their nation's first women to win an Olympic gold medal in rowing. Their fiercest competitors China were dreaming of winning their nation's first ever Olympic gold in rowing. Germany's Kathrin Boron wanted to have a shot at a fifth Olympic gold medal. Great Britain led from the start, Germany and China went back and forth between second and third until the last 500 metres. In the final strokes China took the lead and finished with gold, Great Britain fell back into silver and Germany into bronze.

After a mixed season would Poland, three-time consecutive World Champions in the Men's Quadruple Sculls, become Olympic Champions? Would Simone Raineri and Rossano Galtarossa of Italy re-live their golden Sydney experience? In the end, it seemed Poland were determined and led from start to finish. They grabbed gold, with Italy taking silver and France, coming up remarkably from fourth in the last 500m, taking bronze.

In the Women's Eight, two crews wanted gold badly: the USA who are two-time World Champions and World Best Time holders and Romania who have been the Olympic Champions for the past three Games. The USA started out in the lead and did not let up. Romania followed behind in second for most of the race but in the last strokes fell behind in bronze medal position behind the Netherlands who charged from fourth to take silver. The USA are the Olympic Champions.

Canada went to the 2004 Olympic Games as World Champions in the Men's Eight and finished outside the medals. Today they came again as the reigning World Champions but were determined not to let the same happen in Beijing. Leading a perfect race from the start, Canada rowed to gold, Great Britain followed in silver and 2004 Olympic Champions the USA in bronze.

Great Britain finish on top of the medals table with a total of six medals, including two gold (Men's Four and Lightweight Men's Double Sculls), Australia finish in second with three medals, including two gold (Men's Pair and Men's Double Sculls) and Canada in third with four medals, including one gold (Men's Eight). Host nation China ranks fifth with two medals – one gold in the Women's Quadruple Sculls and one silver in the Women's Pair.

For more information:
FISA media officer
Débora Feutren
Mobile: +41 79 793 5600
E-mail: debora.feutren@fisa.org