Double delight as Hosking and Copeland streak into semi-finals (From Streatham Guardian)

Rowing: Double delight as Hosking and Copeland streak into semi-finals

3:56pm Sunday 29th July 2012 in Sport

Team GB’s sole rowing lightweight women double sculls team of Sophie Hosking and Kat Copeland opened their campaign with a rousing victory in front of 20,000 fans at Eton Dorney to seal a place in Tuesday’s semi-final.

The pair, who finished three seconds ahead of Denmark and six ahead of New Zealand, excelled on the water with a gutsy effort in their heat at Eton Dorney.

Kat Copeland, 20, from Stockton-on-Tees , said: "It was great at the start, it just felt like the Dorney where we've done so many pressurised events like the GB Trials. I think that gave us an advantage.

"For me it's also a good thing to have not done the Olympics before. I think you can come into it excited and just enjoy it.

"Having pressure on us in the semi-final is not a bad thing. After, all, this is the Olympics and we want to get into the final. The pressure comes more from ourselves.”