China takes 1st ever gold medal in Olympic rowing

BEIXIAOYING TOWN, China (AP) The women's quadruple sculls crew won China's first ever rowing gold medal Sunday and just about the entire stadium - and probably the country - wanted to celebrate along with the beaming winners.

As the rowers stood on the medal dock singing the national anthem, thousands of Chinese belted out the words with them. Flags waved in the air and volunteers cheerfully exchanged high-fives with enough thunderous jumping to rattle the stands.

"I'm extremely happy and proud today because we have made a breakthrough in the rowing history of China," rower Jin Ziwei said through a translator.

Jin, Tang Bin, Xi Aihua and Zhang Yangyang crossed the finish line in 6 minutes, 16.06 seconds, blowing kisses and raising their arms in triumph in front of a roaring home crowd.

"At the final point when we finally reached the finishing line, I was very, very excited and I thought to myself, 'Finally we have won this gold for China,'" Zhang said through a translator.

The foursome wore smiles as wide as the Yangtze River and hopped and waved on the red "Beijing 2008" dock. Chinese fans and staffers rushed to the railing and snapped pictures, yelling in celebration. Once the crew in the center of the podium had their medals placed around their necks, they lifted them high into the air for all to see that China really can win gold.

"We decided that we have to turn this pressure into motivation," Jin said.

Did they ever succeed on their home water.

Canada felt some pressure, too. They had a measly medal count for all Olympic sports, but went out Sunday and won a gold medal in the marquee men's eight race and added two bronzes.

The Americans also had a strong finish - the women won gold in the eight and the men came away with bronze in the eight. The men won the gold medal four years ago in Athens.

The women's crew of Erin Cafaro, Lindsay Shoop, Anna Goodale, Elle Logan, Anna Cummins, Susan Francia, Caroline Lind, Caryn Davies and coxswain Mary Whipple won in 6:05.34. Beau Hoopman, Matt Schnobrich, Micah Boyd, Wyatt Allen, Daniel Walsh, Steven Coppola, Josh Inman, Bryan Volpenhein and coxswain Marcus McElhenney earned the bronze in 5:25.34

"I think that says a lot for the U.S. program," Cafaro said. "I think sometimes people underestimate us."

The women clasped their hands together and raised them in unison, as if they were the cast of a Broadway play out for a curtain call. Goodale wiped away tears as she received her flowers.

"They were ready. They came down smiling to the boathouse which is a good sign," U.S. women's coach Tom Terhaar said.

Britain won gold in lightweight men's sculls and took home two silver medals.

Fans started enthusiastically cheering at Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park when the women's quad sculls crew was announced at the start of the final. The crew was second at the 1,500-meter mark when they made their move on the British. All they needed was 20 smooth strokes to overtake the lead and they won by a half-length - or half a boat.

"I was thinking that a lot of people have said that it's impossible for Chinese rowers to get a gold in the Olympic games," Xi said through a translator. "And now today we did it."

China revamped its approach and dedication toward winning medals in rowing. The country imported coaches, rowers trained longer hours and more cash was pumped into the program to make the Chinese athletes contenders on their home water. Now, the country has six rowing medals in its history - including one shiny gold.

In other finals:

- In lightweight women's double sculls, Kirsten van der Kolk and Marit van Eupen of the Netherlands won the gold medal in 6:54.74. Finland's Sanna Sten and Minna Nieminen took the silver medal in 6:56.03. Canadian's Melanie Kok and Tracy Cameron won bronze in 6:56.68.

- In lightweight men's double sculls, Britain's Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter won gold in 6:10.99. Dimitrios Mougios and Vasileios Polymeros of Greece took silver in 6:11.72. Mads Reinholdt Rasmussen and Rasmus Nicholai Quist Hansen of Denmark won bronze in 6:12.45.

- In lightweight men's four, Denmark's Thomas Ebert, Morten Joergensen, Mads Christian Kruse Andersen, and Eskild Balschmidt Ebbesen won gold in 5:47.76. Poland won silver in 5:49.39 and Canada took the bronze in 5:50.09.

- In women's quadruple sculls, Britain took silver in 6:17.37 and Germany has the bronze in 6:19.55.

- In men's quadruple sculls, the Polish crew won the gold medal in 5:41.33. Italy took home silver in 5:43.57 and France earned bronze in 5:44.34.

- In women's eight, Netherlands won silver in 6:07.22. Romania was denied a fourth straight Olympic gold medal in the eight and settled for bronze in 6:07.25. The British crew took the men's eight silver medal in 5:25.11.

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