PRESS RELEASE: South Africa wins first Olympic gold ever in rowing

South Africa won its first ever Olympic gold medal in rowing in the lightweight men's four. Moving up from fourth in the final 500m the South Africans overtook 2010 World Champions Great Britain, 2011 World Champions Australia and 2008 Olympic Champions Denmark to cross the line first. Great Britain took silver and Denmark bronze – this is the fifth overall Olympic medal won by legendary Dane lightweight sculler Eskild Ebbesen, aged 40. He has won a medal in the lightweight men's four at every Olympic Games since Atlanta in 1996.

In the men's double sculls, New Zealand's 2010 and 2011 World Champions Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan won their nation's first Olympic gold in this boat class. Italy's silver medal makes Alessio Sartori a now four-time Olympic medallist at age 35 and his younger partner Romano Battisti, aged 26, a first-time Olympic medallist. This A-final was Iztok Cop's swansong – at age 40, the Slovenian is planning to soon retire from rowing; he and long-time partner Luka Spik won bronze.

The USA's winning streak in the women's eight is unprecedented in women's rowing. Starting in 2006, they won each World Rowing Championships since 2006, claimed the Olympic title in Beijing and now again in London. They also set two World Best Times during this period. Canada have been strong challengers in the women's eight, having medalled at three consecutive Olympic Games between 1992 and 2000. Today, they climbed back onto the Olympic podium with silver. The Netherlands have also been regular Olympic medallists and, after winning Olympic silver in 2008 and world bronze in 2009 today they claimed another Olympic medal from third, winning largely ahead of Romania who miss the podium for the first time since 1980.

A-finals continue tomorrow 3 August and Saturday 4 August. Friday's A-finals will begin at 11:30 GMT with the men's quadruple sculls (M4x), followed by the men's pair (M2-), the women's double sculls (W2x) and the men's single sculls (M1x).

The favourites in the men's quadruple sculls are the young Croatian crew who won World Championship gold in 2010 and bronze in 2011 and have dominated the 2012 Samsung World Rowing Cup season. Croatia and Germany both won their respective semifinals yesterday, with Croatia clocking the fasting qualifying time. 2011 World Champions Australia will also line up.

In the men's pair, the Kiwi crew of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray will be the ones to beat. They have not lost a race since pairing up in 2009. The new British crew of George Nash and William Satch will race in neighbouring lane three, while Olympic silver medallist from Italy Lorenzo Carboncini will compete with Niccolo Mornati. Beijing silver medallists Dave Calder and Scott Frandsen will also once again be aiming for the podium.

Great Britain's most medalled female rower, Katherine Grainger, is hoping to add a first Olympic gold to her collection of three Olympic silvers with partner Anna Watkins.  Australia's Kim Crow, who also qualified for the A-final in the women's single sculls and is the only athlete here competing in two boat classes, will be racing in one of the favoured middle lanes with partner Brooke Pratley, while Poland is putting their hopes in Julia Michalska and Magdalena Fularczyk to win its first ever Olympic medal in women's rowing.

Five-time World Champion Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand will be racing for his first Olympic gold medal, after suffering a bout of illness and taking bronze in Beijing. The A-final will likely be a duel between Drysdale and 2008 Olympic silver medallist and 2010 World Champion Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic.

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