The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, August 16) -- Twin sisters Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell of New Zealand successfully defended their Athens Olympic gold by winning the Women's Double Sculls with a time of 7:07.32. German duo Thiele Annekatrin and Huth Christiane were just 0.01 seconds behind and had to settle for silver. Great Britain's Laverick Elise and Bebington Anna took bronze with a time of 7:07.55.
New Zealand were in second place at the halfway point despite a slow start, while Germany was able to maintain a constant stroke rate through most of the race and stay near the front of the pack.
"Goodness knows we didn't have a good start. We were behind," said Caroline Evers-Swindell after the race. "It's been a tough last week. We just wanted to have a good race. We're so pleased."
China's Li Qin and Tian Liang won the 2008 Rowing World Cup in both Lucerne and Munich and were expected to reach the podium in Beijing. A good start put them in contention, but they were third at the halfway point and finished in fourth.
Women's Double Sculls, final standings:
1. New Zealand -- Georgina Evers-Swindell and Caroline Evers-Swindell, 7:07.32
2. Germany -- Annekatrin Thiele and Christiane Huth, 7:07.33
3. Great Britain -- Elise Laverick and Anna Bebington, 7:07.55
4. China -- Li Qin and Tian Liang, 7:15.85
5. United States -- Megan Kalmoe and Ellen Tomek, 7:17.53
6. Czech Republic -- Miroslava Knapkova and Gabriela Varekova, 7:25.09
