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"THE head coach of Australian women's rowing Harald Jahrling has reignited the Sally Robbins "no row" debate claiming she does have a problem and needs to acknowledge it.
Jahrling, who is under pressure himself as it has emerged he had his cards marked before the Olympics, made the explosive claims while holidaying in Tuscany in Italy.
Jahrling believes Robbins will not be psychologically equipped for a 2008 Olympic campaign unless she first admits she has a problem and deals with it.
Asked if he feels Robbins could make it to Beiing, Jahrling told The Daily Telegraph: "After she has seriously worked on her problem. Sally has chosen to ignore she has a problem. It has got worse over the years.""
Read more at Coach says Robbins in denial (September 3, 2004):
"Ukrainian rowers stripped of bronze for drug violation; Hungarian Ukrainian rowers stripped of bronze for drug violation; Hungarian weightlifter expelled Eds: UPDATES throughout to ADD comment from IOC executive board member; ADD details; RECASTS overline. By STEPHEN WILSON
ATHENS, Greece (AP) The Ukrainian four-woman rowing team was stripped of its bronze medal Thursday after one member tested positive for a banned drug, the IOC said.
It was the fourth medal lost because of doping during the Athens Olympics.
A weightlifter from Hungary also was expelled from the games on Thursday for failing to provide a urine sample after his event, the International Olympic Committee said.
Zoltan Kovacs, who finished last in the 105-kilogram class, became the 10th weightlifter punished for doping. "
Read more at Ukraine Rowers Stripped of Bronze Medal
"AUSTRALIA'S women's eight rowing crew today assured Olympics team boss John Coates they will stop publicly criticising Sally Robbins.
Robbins has been at the centre of a furore after she stopped rowing with 500m to go in the Olympic final of the women's eight two days ago.
She later dropped her oar with about 100m to go as the Australian boat came in a distant last.
Coates summoned the crew after several members breached team guidelines by publicly criticising Robbins.
He said the meeting this morning went well and the crew displayed great maturity.
"They certainly understand as a group that there have been breaches of our team guidelines which you know say that team members shouldn't talk disparagingly about other team members," Coates told reporters.
"There are certainly assurances that won't happen again."
In a media conference, Robbins said she has broken down during a race before and blamed the problem on anxiety."
"The manager of Australia's women's rowing team has leapt to the defence of a member of the eights crew who stopped rowing during Sunday's Olympic final.
Sally Robbins stopped rowing late in the race, leaving the Australian crew losing ground to cross the line in sixth place after going to the start line as one of the medal favourites.
Team manager Wayne Diplock said Robbins was exhausted.
"It basically gets to the end of the regatta and it's a combination I suppose of mental and physical exhaustion and just one of those things," he said.
"I think we saw it in the men's eights race as well. The timing's a little bit wrong and if one rower gets exhausted a couple of hundred metres out, there's not a lot you can do.""
Read more at Rower too exhausted to carry on: team boss
"The United States stormed to their first Olympic men's eights title in 40 years on Sunday.
The final, the last race of the Olympic regatta, had been billed as a showdown between the Americans and fierce rivals Canada, the double world champions.
But after challenging early on the Canadians faded and finished fifth, The Netherlands finishing second and Australia taking bronze."
Read more at U.S. sign off with regatta triumph
"The Australian women's eight bid for Olympic gold ended in tears when a crew member stopped rowing before the finish.
Team officials said coach Harald Jarhling was furious after Sally Robbins lay back with a quarter of the race to go and dropped her oar about 100m from the finish line.
The crew were third at the 1000 metre mark but dropped back to fifth by 1500, crossing the line almost 10 seconds after the fifth place-getters, Germany.
Robbins was exhausted, not ill or injured, and an Australian official quoted Jarhling as saying he had not seen anything like it in his 35-year coaching career.
She had to be helped from the boat.
"I just rowed my guts out in the first 1,500 and didn't have anything left and that's all I could have done for today," Robbins said.
"I did whatever I could and my best was what I put out there today and I plan to keep rowing.
"This experience only makes me stronger."
Robbins said she had not had a chance to talk to her crew mates but she was sure they would be supportive.
"I will just say (to them) that I did everything I could," she said.
"This is what I could do today and I put 110 per cent in, and that's what everyone does.""
Read more at Eights slump as Robbins stops rowing
"Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell delivered New Zealand the Olympic gold medal they had promised for so long on the Schinias course here today.
The Cambridge sisters had to hold off a frantic late burst from Germany but held on to win a final they were always expected to and handed New Zealand its first medal of the Games.
Up by two lengths at halfway, the gold looked sealed but Germany’s Britta Oppelt and Peggy Waleska charged home, finishing within 1.01 seconds of the twins, who seemed to tie up over the closing 250m.
Winners of the last two world championships and unbeaten for nearly three years, the Evers-Swindells weren’t going to let their first shot at Olympic glory slip, slouching into their cockpit in relief after crossing the line.
Their time of seven minutes 01.71 seconds was significantly slower than they have rowed previously but conditions were tricky.
As well as hot temperatures, they had to counter fluctuating head and cross winds."
Read more at Evers-Swindell twins win gold
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from United States
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Netherlands
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Australia
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Romania
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from United States
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Netherlands
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Russia
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Czech Republic
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Ukraine
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Germany
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from United Kingdom (Great Britain)
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Ukraine
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Denmark
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Australia
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Italy
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Poland
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from France
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Greece
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Romania
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Germany
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Netherlands
Darcy Marquardt of Richmond, B.C., and Buffy Williams of St. Catharines, Ont., led early but faded in the final 500 metres and finished fourth in the Olympic women's pairs rowing final Saturday.
Rowers beaten by Great Britain in photo finish
It was so close, even one of the world's most experienced and decorated rowers couldn't figure out who had won.
In a thrilling race that is likely to be talked about for years to come, Matthew Pinsent and his veteran British crew came away with the gold medal in the men's four at the Summer Olympics on Saturday, edging world champion Canada by just 8-100ths of a second.
"Matthew Pinsent joined the Olympic immortals this morning when he led the coxless four to gold for Britain after the tightest of photo finishes on an unforgettable morning at the Schinias rowing centre.
The man from Eton, who had garnered three Olympic golds while racing in the shadow of Sir Steven Redgrave, made it four in a row to go within one of the record of his big pal and Britain's greatest Olympian.
But the margin over Canada was the blink of an eye - just eight hundreths of a second.
For James Cracknell it was his second gold to go with the one he won in Sydney, while for Ed Coode and Steve Williams it was their first taste of Olympic triumph."
Read more at Gold for Pinsent's four - by eight-hundredths of a second
"World champions Australia have won gold in the men's coxless pair at the Athens Olympics, to give 39-year-old James Tomkins his third Olympic gold and Drew Ginn, 29, his second.
The Australians, renowned for their long, elegant style, beat Croatia' Skelin brothers by half a length. South Africa finished with the bronze medal.
The popular Australians were given a rousing welcome onto the medal podium.
"When we were on the finish line we were pretty emotional about it," Ginn said."
Read more at Ginn and Tomkins rowing's golden boys
Matthew Pinsent has claimed his fourth Olympic Gold medal in four different Olympic games when the Men's Coxless fours narrowly pipped the Canadians by 0.08 seconds.
Pinsent, and Sydney champion James Cracknell, Ed Coode and Steve Williams won by the narrowest of margins in a time of six minutes 6.98 seconds.
The Canadian crew put the Britons under heavy pressure in the final stages.
But the GB four dug deep to edge them out in a photo finish by 0.08 seconds, while Italy took bronze.
Pinsent won his first gold with Steve Redgrave in 1992 and has never lost an Olympic race.
Source BBC Fourth gold for Pinsent
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from United Kingdom (Great Britain)
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Canada
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Italy
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Romania
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from United Kingdom (Great Britain)
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from Belarus
The winner of the Gold Medal: The Evers-Swindell Twins from New Zealand
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Germany
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from United Kingdom (Great Britain)
The winner of the Gold Medal: Team from Australia
The winner of the Silver Medal: Team from Croatia
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Team from South Africa
Drew Ginn and James Tomkins from Australia have just won the Gold medal in the Men's Pairs Rowing. In second place was the Croatian team of Sinisa Skelin and Niksa Skelin and in third the team from South Africa, Donovan Cech and Ramon di Clemente.
The winner of the Gold Medal: Olaf Tufte from Norway
The winner of the Silver Medal: Jueri Jaanson from Estonia
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Ivo Yanakiev from Bulgaria
The winner of the Gold Medal: Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski from Germany
The winner of the Silver Medal: Ekaterina Karsten from Belarus
The winner of the Bronze Medal: Rumyana Neykova from Bulgaria
"The Evers-Swindells and the rest of the New Zealand Olympic rowing team are counting down to what could be the country's most successful day for the sport.
Five crews line up in finals later this evening in Athens, starting with Sonia Waddell at 5.30pm NZ time.
For the twins it has been a long wait since last Saturday’s heat.
But Georgina says the double-scullers have been in this situation before, at the 2002 world championships, a race that they won.
She says they will go through their regular routine, which includes having their last meal around three hours before the race."
Read more at NZ rowers set for biggest night in their Olympic history
CTV.ca | Disqualified Canadian rowers lose final appeal
Canadian rowers Dave Calder and Chris Jarvis have lost their final appeal of their disqualification in the men's pairs event in Athens.
"Canada scored a number of key victories in Athens, but was also embroiled in controversy as the men's pairs rowing crew was disqualified during Day 5 of the Olympics.
It was a bitter-sweet day for Canada on the water Wednesday. The good news is that three of Canada's five remaining crews advanced to the finals.
The men's four, the men's eight and the women's pairs for Canada all advanced after finishing first in their respective repechages.
The bad news is that the men's pairs team of Dave Calder of Victoria and Chris Jarvis of St. Catherines were disqualified. And the women's eight team finished fifth in their repechage and failed to advance.
Calder and Jarvis ran into trouble when they left their lane just before the finish line. The South African team next to them lodged a complaint claiming a Canadian oar hit theirs causing them to take a bad stroke."
Read more at Canada scores key wins amid controversy on Day 5
Thanks to Bene for the link.
"Twenty years later, the boys are back on the medal stand. The American men's gymnastics program, long overlooked and often unappreciated, won Olympic silver Monday, capping a four-year rebuilding project to take home a medal for the first time since the boycotted 1984 Games.
After faltering in the middle two rotations, Paul and Morgan Hamm led a rally. The Americans hit their last six routines, on parallel bars and high bar, to push past Romania and finish with 172.933 points.
The Japanese went last and needed to average about 9.5 over three sets on the high bar to win. They did it with ease, winning by 0.888 points."
Read more at American men earn silver
The first race of the Athens Olympics didn't go as expected for the Canadian men's eight rowing crew, leaving them with a tougher road to next week's final.
The two-time world champions, who are favoured to win the gold medal, were edged by the rival Americans in Sunday's preliminary heat. With the win, the U.S., team goes straight through to next Sunday's final while the Canadians will need to book their ticket through the repechage, which shouldn't be a problem. Australia won the other heat to advance.
"America's Olympic rowers arrived in Greece saying they were ready for the rough conditions at their venue on a windswept, manmade lake outside Athens. Turns out they were right. With a tail wind packing gusts of up to 20 mph, both the U.S. men's and women's eights broke world records and won tough preliminary heats Sunday.
No records will fall Monday, however. Forecasts of even stronger winds prompted organizers to postpone those races. Only a few hours after Sunday's competition, the wind was strong enough to push up white-capped waves in the made-made lake."
"Aquil Abdullah has already made history as the first black to row for the U.S. Olympic team. Now he's just two races away from becoming the first to win a medal.
The former college football recruit and his double scull partner Henry Nuzum finished a solid third in a five-team field Saturday to become one of two U.S. boats to advance to the semifinals in their respective events.
The other American boat to move straight to the semifinal round was the men's pair of Luke Walton and Russian-born Artour Samsonov. They advanced by beating the Czechs for third place in a four-boat heat, although they finished 14 seconds behind heat winner South Africa."
"The mighty Canadian men's eight rowing team suffered its first defeat since 2002 when the Americans upset the two-time defending world champions Sunday at the Athens Olympics.
Iain Brambell and his men's four teammates won their preliminary heat on Sunday. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Canada led for most of the race, but the Americans used a late charge to win the preliminary heat in a world-best time of five minutes, 19.85 seconds.
The Canadians crossed the line in 5:20.46 – a time that also beat the former world-best mark held by the Dutch since 1999.
The U.S. automatically advances for the Aug. 22 final, while the Canadians must now try to qualify through Tuesday's repechage."
Read more at U.S. stuns Canadian men's eight rowers
"World champion title holder, Germany won heat 1 of the Men’s Quadruple Sculls and qualified with Estonia and Australia for the semifinals.
From the second heat, Poland was the winner, while Russia and Italy also qualified for the semifinals. "
Read more at Men's Quadruple Sculls: World Champion Germany through to finals
"Top Irish medal hopes Sam Lynch and Gearoid Towey today showed why they could spring a surprise in the lightweight men’s double sculls in Athens.
The pair won bronze at last year’s World Championship but both have suffered a season of injuries which, at one point, threatened to ruin their Olympic dream.
Italian world champion Elia Luini claims they are the crew he is most wary of, and the Irish pair progressed straight into the semi-finals with a confident heat victory. They finished in a time of six minutes and 16.63 seconds.
Lynch was delighted with the result and said: “We enjoyed the race very much. We knew from the first 500 metres that we would win and we made it.”"
Read more at Super Sculls Make Impressive Start
"What might be the strongest American women's eight boat ever remained undefeated in 2004 with a big heat victory Sunday, setting a world record in the process.
The U.S. boat led by nearly three seconds after 1,000 meters, but the Germans charged hard over the second half, pulling to .3 of a second in a finish that energized the crowd.
Racing with a tail wind, the Americans' winning time was 5:56.55, eclipsing the previous mark of 5:57.02 set by Romania in 1999.
The victory means the U.S. women's elite boat, which won both World Cup events it entered this year, won't have to enter a repechage - or second chance race - on Tuesday and advanced directly to next Sunday's final. "
Read more at American Women's Eight Boat Sets Record
"AUSTRALIAN rowers Amber Halliday and Sally Newmarch were ready to celebrate with a real meal after setting a world's best time in the lightweight sculls heats today.
Halliday said they were trying to keep a lid on their excitement ahead of the semi-finals at the Olympic Rowing Centre on Thursday but would treat themselves to dinner.
"We have been living on power bars and Powerade and Sustagen for the past few days so we will be having some real food," Halliday said.
The Australian duo used a strong tail wind to full advantage on the Schinias course to record a time of six minutes 49.90 seconds over the 2000 metres."
Read more at Rowers power world's best time
"America's Harvard-MIT tandem in the men's lightweight double sculls was upset by Ireland in a preliminary heat Sunday. Greg Ruckman and Steve Tucker fell behind by about 3 seconds in the first 1,000 meters, and the Irish tandem of Sam Lynch and Gearoid Towey maintained their lead the rest of the way.
Ruckman and Tucker finished second, meaning their medal hopes hinge on a repechage — or second-chance race — on Tuesday. A strong showing there would put them into the semifinals.
Ruckman's journey to Olympic medal contention began with a failed attempt to join the Crimson crew in his freshman year. Tucker was drawn to the sport by a rowing machine at his MIT fraternity house."
Read more at America's MIT-Harvard tandem upset by Ireland in double sculls heat
News just to hand.
A press conference will be held shortly in Athens to announce that Rowing will not take place tomorrow due to forecasted high winds. Heats are currently under way today in a faster than normal morning of rowing.
Organizers have decreased the amount of time between this mornings heats to ensure that as many as possible take place before the winds pick up this afternoon.
"Australian duo James Tomkins and Drew Ginn have easily won their heat of the men's coxless pairs on the opening day of Olympic rowing competition at the Schinias Rowing and Canoeing Centre.
Tomkins and Ginn, who won gold in the 1996 Olympics as part of the men's coxless four, qualified for the semi-finals after taking out their heat in time of 6 minutes 55.04 seconds.
They finished over three seconds ahead of Nikola Stojic and Mladen Stegic of Serbia and Montenegro.
New Zealand pair Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater recorded the fastest time of the day in winning the third heat in 6:54.75 mins."
Read more at Tomkins and Ginn cruise into semis
"Forecasts for high winds at the Olympic rowing venue prompted organizers to start making adjustments for the second day of racing.
Matt Smith, executive director of rowing's governing body, said the normal 10-minute window between heats at the man-made lake will be reduced to 7 minutes on Sunday to complete the competition before winds increase."
"Laura Rauchfuss was easy to spot among the members of the U.S. women's Olympic crew team who were rowing around Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., during a late July practice.
As the women's eight-person and four-person boats raced up and down the lake, their every move examined by bullhorn-toting coaches in motor boats, Laura Rauchfuss rowed alone in a one-person boat.
For the 29-year-old Greenwich native, the solitude was both welcome and heartbreaking. Rauchfuss has always been the introverted sort, but in this case, the loneliness was a reminder of her status as an Olympic alternate who had unexpectedly lost her place in the woman's four-person boat.
"It's been a frustrating year," Rauchfuss said. "You train to compete and win, and my focus has been on a gold medal. It's been very difficult for me.""
Read more at Rower shows resilience from disappoint-ment
"The wind's a breeze and the pods are legal, bringing smiles to the New Zealand Olympic rowing team here today.
After nearly two months of preparation in Belgium, all 11 rowers hit the water at the controversial Schinias course for the first time, completing a morning and afternoon session.
They were heartened to find just a moderate breeze in their 8am session rather than the strong winds that were anticipated and which caused several crews to capsize at the world junior championships at this time last year.
And the pods attached to boats to counter choppy water have been ruled legitimate.
Rowing New Zealand chief executive Craig Ross arrived late last week and said the wind had never risen beyond steady in three days of monitoring."
Read more at NZ team happy with Athens wind conditions
"The eight female rowers powering America's best boat at the Athens Games are imposing, each about 6 feet and 175 pounds.
Their long legs are thick from the explosive lower-body thrusts that begin each synchronized pull of the oars as they cut through the water. Their well-defined biceps would put many men to shame.
And anything less than Olympic gold will sorely disappoint them.
"This is by far, both from the rowing standpoint and the chemistry between us, the strongest boat I've ever been in," crew member Megan Dirkmaat says. "There's just something that clicks."
Americans have long been competitive in rowing, but the sport has seen a surge in popularity among women in recent years, drawing more of the country's biggest, strongest female athletes.
"The talent pool is thickening, for certain," says Kate Johnson, a four-time national team member who'll row with the eight in rowing's elite event."
Read more at Eight is enough for gold
Canada won just three gold medals in the Sydney Summer Games. The Canadian diving and rowing contingents stand a good chance to win three gold medals in Athens, making any other gold winners a bonus.
The Calgary Sun: On golden ponds
"The eight female rowers powering America's best boat at the Athens Games are imposing, each about 6 feet and 175 pounds.
Their long legs are thick from the explosive lower-body thrusts that begin each synchronized pull of the oars as they cut through the water. Their well-defined biceps would put many men to shame.
And anything less than Olympic gold will sorely disappoint them.
"This is by far, both from the rowing standpoint and the chemistry between us, the strongest boat I've ever been in," crew member Megan Dirkmaat says. "There's just something that clicks."
Americans have long been competitive in rowing, but the sport has seen a surge in popularity among women in recent years, drawing more of the country's biggest, strongest female athletes.
"The talent pool is thickening for certain," says Kate Johnson, a four-time national team member who'll row with the eight in rowing's elite event."
Read more at U.S. team to beat in women's rowing.
"Steve Redgrave etched his name into the Olympic record books in Sydney
Steve Redgrave powered to Olympic glory for the fifth time in Sydney to become Britain's greatest ever Olympian.
The rower won gold in the coxless four with Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Tim Foster in 2000 to cap an incredible 16-year Olympic career.
He ov