Only the top two boats (places seven and eight overall) were guaranteed a place at London 2012. Germany won the race by leading virtually all the way and China took the second qualification spot by taking out the United States in the second 1,000 metres. Ireland were in touch at 500 metres but could not keep contact with the head of the field.
In the most dramatic race of the day, Germany lost the men's quadruple sculls gold to Australia virtually on the line when Lauritz Schoof missed a stroke as the Germans were leading. Britain won their first gold in an Olympic event through Anna Watkins and Katherine Grainger in the women's double, but New Zealand took the men's pair, leaving Britain in second, and the men's single scull, where Mahe Drysdale regained his crown. Coleraine's Alan Campbell took bronze.
World Rowing Championships, Bled, Slovenia – Day Seven (Selected Results)
Men
Pair – A Final: 1 New Zealand 6:14.77, 2 Britain 6:16.27, 3 Italy 6:21.33.
Quadruple Sculls – A Final: 1 Australia 5:39.31, 2 Germany 5:39.56, 3 Croatia 5:42.82.
Single Sculls – A Final: 1 New Zealand (M Drysdale) 6:39.56, 2 Czech Republic (O Synek) 6:40.05, 3 Britain (A Campbell) 6:44.86.
Women
Four – A Final: 1 United States 6:30.30, 2 Australia 6:31.18, 3 Netherlands 6:34.06.
Lightweight Quadruple Scull – A Final: 1 Britain 6:28.14, 2 China 6:30.41, 3 United States 6:33.91.
Double Scull – A Final: 1 Britain 6:44.73, 2 Australia 6:45.98, 3 New Zealand 6:46.74. B Final (Places 7 to 12; first two boats qualify for Olympic Games 2012): 1 Germany 6:57.43, 2 China 6:58.41, 3 United States 6:59.83, 4 Finland 7:04.51, 5 Serbia 7:05.75, 6 Ireland (L Dilleen, S Puspure) 7:13.92.
Adaptive
Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed coxed Four – A/B Semi-Final (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to B Final): 1 Germany 3:30.78, 2 Ireland (A-M McDaid, S Caffrey, S Ryan, K du Toit; cox: H Arbuthnot) 3:32.63, 3 United States 3:32.98; 4 China 3:35.66, 5 Italy 3:41.51, 6 Russia 3:45.79.
