Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's coxless pair

Women's Pair

Heats

August 14
Heat 1 10:10
#Yuliya Bichyk and Natallia Helakh, BLR 7:27.73
#Katherine Grainger and Cath Bishop, , 7:34.66
#Maren Derlien and Sandra Goldbach, GER 7:44.00
#Sophie Balmary and Virginie Chauvel, FRA 7:49.70
#Sarah Jones and Kate Mackenzie, USA 7:53.78

Heat 2 10:20
#Georgeta Damian and Viorica Susanu, ROM 7:29.74
#Darcy Marquardt and Buffy-Lynne Williams, CAN 7:42.36
#Milka Tancheva and Anna Chuk, BUL 7:53.45
#Cong Huanling and Feng Xueling, CHN 7:53.30
#Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles, NZL 9:37.53

Final

#Georgeta Damian and Viorica Susanu, ROM, 7:06.56
#Katherine Grainger and Cath Bishop, , 7:08.66
#Yuliya Bichyk and Natallia Helakh, BLR, 7:09.36
#Darcy Marquardt and Buffy-Lynne Williams, CAN, 7:13.33
#Maren Derlien and Sandra Goldbach, GER, 7:20.20
#Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles, NZL, 7:23.52

The Romanians never looked likely to lose as they led throughout. At 1,000 metres they were nearly two seconds clear of the Canadians who were half a second ahead of Belarus with world champions Great Britain a further second back. By 1,500 m. they had extended their lead with no change in positions in the trailing pack. Just after this mark Belarus and Great Britain both made a move to push past Canada who could not respond. The British kept their push going and passed the Belarusians and by the finishing line had just about overlapped the dominant Romanians. Belarus were two thirds of length back with a very tired looking Canada a further one and a half lengths away.