Newz Forum: OLYMPICS: Bishop and Grainger take Silver in the Womens pairs

Cath Bishop and Katherine Grainger staged a late show to snatch silver in the women's pair final this morning. The 2003 world champions finished strongly to claim Britain's first rowing medal of the Games at the Schinias Rowing Centre.

But they could not catch the Romanian pair of Georgeta Damian and Viorica Susanu who charged clear in the second quarter and never relinquished their grip on the race. Indeed, with only 500 metres remaining it appeared as if Bishop and Grainger were out of the running altogether, 4.88 seconds off the lead and trailing both Canada and Belorussia.

But they fought and scrapped, driving past the Canadians into the medals and then edging out the Belorussians to land silver in 7mins 08.58secs, just 2.02secs off the Romanians. Having originally rowed in the pair together in 2001, Bishop and Grainger teamed up again in 2003 and had won all before them, until today.

Nevertheless, it was an historic moment for Grainger who becomes the only British woman to win two Olympic rowing medals after landing silver as a member of the quad in Sydney four years ago. For Bishop, a medal-winning farewell to rowing as she will now head off into a new career and a posting with the Foreign Office in Sarajevo.

Sporting Life