Summary of Olympic finals on Sunday, August 17, 2008. All times are Beijing local time.
Lightweight Women's Double Sculls Final A - 15:30
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - Greece (BIZKITZI/TSIAVOU) Lane 2 - China (XU/YU) Lane 3 - Netherlands (van der KOLK/van EUPEN) Lane 4 - Canada (KOK/CAMERON) Lane 5 - Finland (STEN/NIEMINEN) Lane 6 - Germany (CAROW/DRAEGER)
-The first race of the day kicks things off with the Netherlands, Finland, and Germany as the medal favorites. The Dutch have consistently had the fastest time throughout the regatta and should bring home the gold. The other three crews, China, Greece, and Canada have shown medal speed as well.
Lightweight Men's Double Sculls Final A - 15:50
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - Cuba (BATISTA/PEREZ) Lane 2 - Italy (MIANI/LUINI) Lane 3 - Great Britain (PURCHASE/HUNTER) Lane 4 - Greece (MOUGIOS/POLYMEROS) Lane 5 - Denmark (RASMUSSEN/HANSEN) Lane 6 - China (ZHANG/SUN)
-Greece, Denmark, and Great Britain were the top crews out of the two semifinals and should be the primary medal contenders for the light men's double. China and Italy are also fast and could sneak onto the podium.
Lightweight Men's Four Final A - 16:10
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - Great Britain Lane 2 - Canada Lane 3 - Denmark Lane 4 - Poland Lane 5 - France Lane 6 - Netherlands
-The light men's four is shaping up to be the most competitive race of the day. Denmark and Poland had the fastest qualifying times, but anything could happen.
Women's Quadruple Sculls Final A - 16:30
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - Australia Lane 2 - Germany Lane 3 - Great Britain Lane 4 - China Lane 5 - United States Lane 6 - Ukraine
-Great Britain is looking to take their first ever women's gold in this event while the Chinese are looking for their first ever Olympic gold of any kind. The Brits blew a big lead in Lucerne to the Chinese and Americans so this race will be up for grabs. The Germans will also contend for the medals and could be a darkhorse for gold.
Men's Quadruple Sculls Final A - 16:50
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - France Lane 2 - United States Lane 3 - Poland Lane 4 - Italy Lane 5 - Australia Lane 6 - Germany
-Poland and Italy have been the most impressive thus far in the regatta, but anything could happen in this race. All six crews turned in semifinal times within 2 seconds of each other on Friday. The Americans are still a wild card and could contend for the gold of they race to their potential. Australia broke the world best time in the heat, a bow ball over the Italians.
Women's Eight Final A - 17:10
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - Great Britain Lane 2 - Canada Lane 3 - United States Lane 4 - Romania Lane 5 - Netherlands Lane 6 - Australia
-The heat winners Romania and the United States are the crews that will be gunning for the gold and silver. Each crew dominated their heat and should be ready to rock and roll. The four remaining crews should all challenge for bronze and could knock off Romania or the US if they fail to keep the pace up.
Men's Eight Final A - 17:30
For places 1 -> 6
Lane 1 - Netherlands Lane 2 - United States Lane 3 - Canada Lane 4 - Great Britain Lane 5 - Australia Lane 6 - Poland
-Canada is the two time defending world champion in this event and won their heat convincingly. Great Britain looked good winning the other heat over the Americans and had the fastest qualifying time. This should be a four horse race between Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and the United States for the three spots on the award dock.