Related BBC sites

Page last updated at 08:50 GMT, Sunday, 17 August 2008 09:50 UK

First China rowing win denies GB

News image

Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.

Video - GB women's quad scull to silver

China won the women's quadruple sculls to claim the country's first Olympic rowing gold and deny Great Britain.

GB were themselves bidding for a first women's rowing gold, but stroke Katherine Grainger had to settle for her third successive Olympic silver.

Grainger, Annie Vernon, Debbie Flood and Frances Houghton led by a second at half-way but could not hold on.

Germany's Kathrin Boron, 38, was denied her fifth Olympic gold medal as her crew came in third.

China's Tang Bin, Jin Ziwei, Xi Aihua and Zhang Yangyang were roared on by the home crowd and blew kisses to the fans as they secured victory.

BBC OLYMPICS BLOG
BBC Sport's Matt Slater
"In the Olympics you have to keep struggling, there is no rule that says who should win," Jin said.

Great Britain won silver in the women's quad in the last two Olympic regattas.

But they had their hearts set on gold after winning the last three World Championships and the crew were all clearly devastated afterwards.

Houghton, second in the quad in 2004, said: "We're just so disappointed. We really believed we could do it and we haven't."

News image

Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.

Video - GB emotional after quadruple sculls silver

Grainger told BBC Sport: "I believe if we did it again we could do it. I want to go back to the start and try again.

"We let it slip away at the end. It was 100% from everyone but we didn't quite get it right.

"We could feel them charge. We were charging too. I always believed our power at the end would be better than anyone else."

Olympic debutante Vernon added: "We're so disappointed. I feel so empty."

Shortly after the race in Shunyi Rebecca Romero, who took silver with Houghton and Flood in Athens, clinched gold in track cycling's individual pursuit.

"I got told just before I went out for my race - I'm absolutely gutted for them," she told BBC Sport.

"They really deserved to win, I'm gutted for all of them."




Rowing medals table

Sunday, 24 August 2008 10:17 UK
RankCountryGoldSilverBronzeTOTAL
1also show each event results forGreat Britain2226
Men's Double Sculls001
Men's Eight010
Men's Four100
Men's Lightweight Double Scull100
Women's Double Sculls001
Women's Quadruple Sculls010
2also show each event results forAustralia2103
Men's Double Sculls100
Men's Four010
Men's Pair100
3also show each event results forCanada1124
Men's Eight100
Men's Lightweight Four001
Men's Pair010
Women's Lightweight Double Scu001
4also show each event results forUSA1113
Men's Eight001
Women's Eight100
Women's Single Sculls010
5also show each event results forChina1102
Women's Pair010
Women's Quadruple Sculls100
6also show each event results forNetherlands1102
Women's Eight010
Women's Lightweight Double Scu100
7also show each event results forPoland1102
Men's Lightweight Four010
Men's Quadruple Sculls100
8also show each event results forNew Zealand1023
Men's Pair001
Men's Single Sculls001
Women's Double Sculls100
9also show each event results forDenmark1012
Men's Lightweight Double Scull001
Men's Lightweight Four100
10also show each event results forRomania1012
Women's Eight001
Women's Pair100
11also show each event results forBulgaria1001
Women's Single Sculls100
12also show each event results forNorway1001
Men's Single Sculls100
13also show each event results forGermany0112
Women's Double Sculls010
Women's Quadruple Sculls001
14also show each event results forCzech Republic0101
Men's Single Sculls010
15also show each event results forEstonia0101
Men's Double Sculls010
16also show each event results forFinland0101
Women's Lightweight Double Scu010
17also show each event results forGreece0101
Men's Lightweight Double Scull010
18also show each event results forItaly0101
Men's Quadruple Sculls010
19also show each event results forBelarus0022
Women's Pair001
Women's Single Sculls001
20also show each event results forFrance0022
Men's Four001
Men's Quadruple Sculls001

Olympics venues map

BBC Sport's Olympic map

Find out about the Beijing rowing and canoeing venue

see also
Canada take eights gold from GB
17 Aug 08 |  Rowing
British four win thrilling gold
16 Aug 08 |  Rowing
Tufte takes second Olympic gold
16 Aug 08 |  Rowing
Beijing 2008
14 Feb 08 |  Olympics


related internet links:
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites