Race by Race - Group A Finals

Double gold for Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell topped the results at the FISA World Rowing Championships in Lucerne, Switzerland today.

But every race was a thriller, with plenty of surprises no clear water wins.

The beautiful weather and clear water remained at the Rotsee.

Men's coxed pair: In a dramatic start to racing, favourites Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell of Great Britain nearly lost the race on the line after appearing to be surprised by a late sprint from Mattia Trombetta and Lorenzo Carboncini of Italy. Pinsent and Cracknell had a length's lead by the 1000 metre mark and looked set to win comfortably. But in the last 150 metres the Italians found a sudden burst of power and came right back on the British crew. Stroke Pinsent looked over at the accelerating boat as it drew level with 20 metres to go. They tried to respond but the two boats crossed the line in a photo finish. It was Pinsent and Cracknell's though by 0.42 seconds. Romania was third

Lightweight women's single sculls: The action continued in the lightweight women's single. Ireland's Sinead Jennings took the race by just over half a length after coming back through early leader Mirjam Ter Beek of the Netherlands. Jennings, Ter Beek and local favourite Pia Vogel of Switzerland had separated themselves from the crowd by the 1000 metre mark but there was nothing between the three women. Upping the rating as she went into the 500, Jennings edged ahead of the two taking a slight lead. That was the race-winning move. She had increased her lead slightly on Ter Beek by the finish. A tiring Pia Vogel held off USA's Lisa Schlenkar to take bronze to the cheers of the crowd.

Lightweight men's single sculls: Ireland's superiority in the lightweight singles was confirmed when Sam Lynch took the men's event. Using superb tactics and technique, Lynch made the race his own. He sat just behind France's Frederic Kowal for the first 750 metres. He made his move through the middle of the race and had three-quarters of a lengths lead by the 1500 metre mark over Stefano Basalini of Italy who had rowed into second. Lynch crossed the line a length ahead of Basalini with 2000 World Champion Michal Vabrousek moving through USA's Steve Tucker to take third.

Women's coxless four: Australia was the star of the show, leading the race from start to finish. Behind them New Zealand rowed through Belarus to work itself in to clear second. They challenged Australia in the final 100 metres, coming within half a length of the champions but the Aussies were safe in first. The Netherlands were another length back in third.

Lightweight men's eight: Just 1.99 seconds separated the first four boats at the finish with only four and a half seconds between the entire field. France, bolstered by their Olympic champions lightweight coxless four, took the lead in the third 500. They had been part of a lineup where only split seconds separated them from Denmark, Italy and Great Britain. They were able to get their bowball ahead and keep it there as the rest fought for the places. Denmark came in second 0.78 seconds behind, USA third a further 0.81 seconds back. Italy was fourth while early leaders Great Britain finished fifth and Australia was sixth

Women's single sculls: Kathrin Rutshow-Stomporowski is the new women's single sculls champion after defeating Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus in a surprise result. Karsten started well and led at the 500 metre mark. But in the second 500 metres Rutshow-Stomporowski and Joulia Levina of Russia had a few centimetres over her, the three women lined up as they crossed the halfway mark. Rutschow-Stomporowski moved away in the third quarter of the race to an untouchable lead. Levin finished second and Karsten third.

Men's single sculls: Norway's Olaf Tufte took the men's single sculls by 0.32 seconds after rowing through Slovenia's Iztok Cop in the final metres. Olympic silver medallist Xeno Mueller was left out of the medals in fourth. Cop lead through the middle of the race but could not break free from Tufte and Vaclav Chalupa of the Czech Republic. By the 500 metre mark was more than a length off the pace. Cop appeared to tire in the final strokes as Tufte edges ahead with Chalupa right beside. The three men crossed the line in a photo finish. Tufte winning in 6:43.04, Cop was second 0.32 seconds behind with Chalupa third a further 0.23 seconds back.

Women's coxless pair: Romania has retained its crown, the Olympic champions taking the final over Belarus and Canada. Georgeta Damian from last year's Olympic pair and Viorica Susanu, of the Olympic champion women's eight got in front early. Behind them, the lead swapped several times as Cath Bishop and Katherine Grainger of Great Britain, Olga Tratsevskaya and Yulyia Bichyk of Romania and Jaqueline Cook and Karen Clark of Canada jostled for the place positions. Belarus finished a length back in second, Canada held onto third.

Men's coxless pair : Pinsent and Cracknell had their second near escape from a sprint in the day, winning gold by just 0.02 seconds over Djordie Visacki and Nikola Stojic of Yugoslavia. Pinsent and Cracknell had had to work their way into first place after spending the first 1500 metres of the race battling with Romania for the third and fourth spot. They edged ahead just past the 1500 metre mark but the leaders to that point, Visacki and Stojic, were not prepared to give up the top spot so easily. They came back in the final few hundred metres to catch the British crew and the two crossed the line in a photo finish, only the surge of the bowball giving Pinsent and Cracknell the race. Meanwhile, South Africa's Ramon Di Clemente and Donovan Cech rowed through Daniel Mastacan and Florin Corbeanu of Romania to take bronze three-quarters of a length behind.

Women's double sculls: Germany's Kathrin Boron and Kerstin Kowalski had to work hard for their gold medal. The two women are used to winning with clear water but started slow and were fourth at the 500 metre mark behind Birute Sakickiene and Kristina Poplavskaya of Lithuania, Belarus's Volha Berazniova and Ekaterina Karsten (in her second race within an hour) and New Zealand's Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell. The Olympic champions' experience paid off though and they moved through in the middle 1000 metres to a lead over a length over New Zealand. In last few metres, the tiring German crew held off New Zealand to win by three-quarters of a length. Belarus was a further half length behind in third. Lithuania was fifth behind Russia, with Switzerland sixth.

Men's double sculls: World Cup champions Akos Haller and Tibor Peto held on to become World Champions with just 0.27 seconds between the top three places. Haller and Peto had sat in third for the first half of the race with Adrien Hardy and Sebastien Viellendent of France in the lead and Germany's Stephan Volkert and Stefan Roehnert in third. But the whole race picture changed in the third 500 metres. Haller and Peto moved into the lead as Italy's Rossano Galtarossa and Alessio Sartori of Italy came from last to third. The Italians put in a sudden sprint in the final few hundred metres to draw level with France and Hungary. As they crossed the line France was second 0.13 seconds behind and Italy third a further 0.14 seconds back

Men's coxless four: Great Britain took the final after a classic course-long battle with Germany. Britain started fastest, with Germany less than half a second behind at the first 500 metre mark. But a push from Germany drew them level and they had the lead by a few split seconds at the halfway point. Great Britain had a strong sprint to come though and in the final two hundred metres left Germany behind to take the win by three-quarters of a length. Slovenia was third over USA.