LONDON - The U.S. women's eight successfully defended its Olympic gold medal in racing at Eton Dorney Thursday afternoon.
The American boat crossed the finish line in 6:10.59, nearly a second and a half ahead of the 6:12.06 by the silver medal boat from Canada. The Netherlands won the bronze medal in 6:13.12.
The U.S. women's eight consisted of coxswain Mary Whipple (Orangevale, Calif.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Meghan Musnicki (Naples, N.Y.), Taylor Ritzel (Larkspur, Colo.), Esther Lofgren (Newport Beach, Calif.), Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.) and Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.).
It marked the third time the United States has won gold in the event, along with the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Only two other countries have won the women's eights gold three times: East Germany and Romania.