PARIS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Romania dominated the men's double sculls, while the Netherlands claimed its second rowing gold at Paris 2024 with victory in the women's four here on Thursday.
Marian Florian Enache and Andrei Sebastian Cornea of Romania stormed to clinch the men's double sculls gold in six minutes, 12.58 seconds, more than a second ahead of reigning world champions Melvin Twellaar and Stef Broenink of the Netherlands, who took silver, while the bronze went to Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle of Ireland.
"I know our double, how much we could improve from the training camp. I always knew in my mind that we are the best, and we can win this final. I worked a lot to be here, and we deserve it," said 28-year-old Enache after the race.
In the women's double sculls, Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors of New Zealand edged Romania's duo of Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis to secure the gold in six minutes, 50.45 seconds, while Team GB's Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Rebecca Wilde finished third.
The Netherlands' quartet, consisting of Marloes Oldenburg, Hermijntje Drenth, Tinka Offereins and Benthe Boonstra, clocked 6:27.13 to win the women's four, followed by Britain and New Zealand.
World champion Offereins noted, "We just did what we are supposed to do, we had our own race plan. Romania usually starts slower, because they have an enormous sprint - but they didn't do that, it was so close, and I just thought, 'eyes in the boat, stroke for stroke'."
Also on Thursday, the United States triumphed in the men's four in 5:49.03, 0.85 seconds faster than the runners-up from New Zealand, with British rowers taking bronze.
