Paris 2024 rowing: All results as super mums Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors of New Zealand win double sculls gold
Super mums Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors of New Zealand ended the reign of Romania’s Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis to win the women’s double sculls final on Thursday (1 August) at Paris 2024.
Bodnar and Radis are rowing royalty as the two-time reigning world champions and Tokyo 2020 gold medallists, but they were dethroned here, narrowly losing to Francis and Spoors in a thrilling showdown at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
The New Zealand duo crossed the line in 6:50.45 to finish ahead of Bodnar and Radis (6:50.69) in silver and Great Britain's Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Rebecca Wilde (6:53.22) in bronze.
Gold medalists Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors of Team New Zealand (C), silver medalists Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis of Team Romania (L) and bronze medalists Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Rebecca Wilde of Team Great Britain
Francis and Spoors each have one child, and they are in attendance at Paris 2024, although Spoors joked their kids were unlikely watching on following their semi-final on Tuesday.
“I like to think that they were cheering us through the last 200 metres, but in reality they were probably eating crackers and watching Peppa Pig if they didn't want to sit still,” said Spoors, who is a mother to son Rupert, while Francis has a daughter, Keira.
The inspirational Kiwi pair had gone quickest in those semi-finals, laying down a marker to the Romanian duo, who were faster in the heats but were showing chinks in their armour.
Come the final, it was Great Britain’s Hodgkins Byrne – another mother in this incredible field – and Wilde who took an early lead thanks to their fast start, but Bodnar and Radis were close behind after the first checkpoint at 500m.
The British duo tried to keep up the pace, but it was proving a difficult task as Francis and Spoors came back into the reckoning as well.
Bodnar and Radis led at the halfway stage, but Francis and Spoors were looking strong for New Zealand with 500m to go.
With each stroke the lead was changing, but eventually Francis and Spoors held the outright lead and maintained that advantage to the very end.
The Kiwis won gold by just 0.24 seconds, with the British pairing of Hodgkins Byrne and Wilde almost three seconds back when taking the bronze ahead of the Netherlands.
Bodnar and Radis will go again for Romania in the women’s eight final on Saturday (3 August).
Women's double sculls rowing final, Paris 2024
Gold: Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors, New Zealand
Silver: Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Radis, Romania
Bronze: Mathilda Hodgkins Byrne and Rebecca Wilde, Great Britain