Great Britain golden in Men's Lightweight Double Sculls

Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter scull strokes. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

(BEIJING, August 17) -- Pre-race favorites Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter of Great Britain won gold in the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls with a time of 6:10.99. Dimitrios Mougios and Vasileios Polymeros of Greece finished in a time of 6:11.72 seconds, edging out third-place finishers Mads Reinholdt Rasmussen and Rasmus Nicholai Quist Hansen of Denmark by 0.73 seconds to earn silver.

The British pair placed first in the same event in all three legs of the 2008 World Cup (in Munich, Lucerne and Poznan). The British rowers started in second place and pushed ahead at the 1000m mark, holding their lead down the stretch for the win.

"I've been dying for this day since I started rowing. The national anthem, the flag," said Mark Hunter. "It's a dream come true."

Men's Lightweight Double Sculls, final standings:

1. Great Britain -- Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter, 6:10.99

2. Greece -- Dimitrios Mougios and Vasileios Polymeros, 6:11.72

3. Denmark -- Mads Reinholdt Rasmussen and Rasmus Nicholai Quist Hansen, 6:12.45

4. Italy -- Marcello Miani and Elia Luini, 6:16.15

5. China -- Zhang Guolin and Sun Jie, 6:16.69

6. Cuba -- Eyder Batista and Yunior Perez, 6:19.96