Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x) – Olympic Final

One of the strongest finals seen in this boat class in recent years started off today’s finals at the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in Rio. No boat had dominated this season with Ilse Paulis and Maaike Head of the Netherlands having the best success through this Olympic regatta. Paulis and Head only qualified for Rio at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and just before that they had become European Champions. At the start China had the lead with South Africa’s Ursula Grobler and Kirsten McCann following closely. With 500m rowed less than a second separated the top three boats.

Then Grobler and McCann did a push and got their bow in front. The Dutch were ready. Going into the third 500m Paulis and Head upped their stroke rate and got the bow of their boat in front. South Africa tried to hold on with Canada’s Patricia Obee and Lindsay Jennerich now in the picture. Obee and Jennerich raced the B-final at the London Olympics and they vowed to use this Olympic Games to put things right. The sprint to the line was now on. Paulis and Head had the advantage. Canada was moving with them. China was also right there. The Dutch had done it. Famed coach Jose Verdonkschot had brought another Dutch lightweight double onto the Olympic podium in the gold medal spot. Obee and Jennerich had dispelled their demons. China’s Wenyi Huang and Feihong Pan had proved one season together was enough to get them an Olympic medal.

Results: NED, CAN, CHN, NZL, RSA, IRL

Maaike HEAD (NED) – gold

“I can’t really believe what happened today, all week and all year really.”

Lindsay JENNERICH (CAN) – silver

“My body is in shock, in every way from a 2k race and from being on an Olympic podium, which is 12 years in the making. It’s surreal and the purest form of happy.”

Patricia OBEE (CAN) – silver

“We were just us out there and us is the second best boat in the world today.”

HUANG Wenyi (CHN) – bronze 

“This is my second Olympic games and I’m very satisfied.”

PAN Feihong (CHN) – bronze

“This is my first Olympic games. I’m very happy, but I can do better.”

B-final

Wow what a finish! Poland had led for most of the race with first Germany and then Romania challenging for the lead. But then in the final sprint Romania came flying through and almost caught Poland who had to rate 39 to hold them off.