Australia sets rowing world best

The Australian duo of Sally Newmarch and Amber Halliday set a new world best in the women's light double sculls heats at the Olympic Games on Sunday.

They finished the 2,000m course in six minutes 49.9 seconds to break the nine-year-old mark of 6:50.63 set by the Danish pair of

Berit Christoffersen and Lene Andersson in Copenhagen.

Following are the rowing results at the Olympic Games on Saturday.

Women's lightweight doubles sculls heats (Q denotes qualifier)

Heat 1

1. Romania6:50.64 Q

2. Poland 6:51.46

3. Spain 7:02.33

4. Greece 7:05.52

5. Japan 7:14.04

6. Vietnam7:42.43

Heat 2

1. Germany6:52.47 Q

2. China 6:54.66

3. Netherlands 7:00.46

4. United States7:04.01

5. Hungary7:12.79

6. Mexico 7:18.16

Heat 3

1. Australia 6:49.90 Q

2. Canada 6:53.47

3. Denmark6:56.62

4. Britain6:59.19

5. Cuba7:18.35

6. Argentina 7:25.11

Results of men's lightweight coxless fours heats

Heat 1

1. Canada 5:51.18 Q

2. Netherlands 5:52.52 Q

3. Austria5:54.07 Q

4. Serbia-Montinigro 5:56.12

5. Spain 6:11.70

Heat 2

1. Denmark5:50.72 Q

2. Italy 5:52.17 Q

3. Germany5:52.68 Q

4. Britain6:05.57

Heat 3

1. Australia 5:50.24 Q

2. Ireland5:52.54 Q

3. United States5:54.68 Q

4. Russia 5:55.67

Results of men's lightweight doubles sculls heats

Heat 1

1. Greece6:15.22 Q

2. Italy 6:19.82

3. Slovakia 6:22.00

4. China 6:22.64

5. Cuba  6:25.14

6. Brazil6:33.92

Heat 2

1. France6:14.55 Q

2. Hungary 6:20.98

3. Spain 6:23.23

4. Japan 6:24.08

5. Hong Kong, China 6:43.49

Heat 3

1. Denmark 6:17.68 Q

2. Poland6:21.45

3. Germany 6:25.22

4. Australia6:28.94

5. Uzbekistan 6:52.34

Heat 4

1. Ireland 6:16.63 (Q)

2. United States 6:20.00

3. Czech Republic 6:21.82

4. Belgium 6:26.25

5. Uruguay 6:29.20

Enditem

Results of women's quadruple sculls heats

Heat 1

1. Britain 6:15.60 Q

2. Russia6:17.72

3. Bilarus 6:20.72

4. Ukraine  6:21.24

Heat 2

1. Germany 6:16.49 Q

2. United States 6:18.63

3. Australia6:23.46

4. Denmark 6:28.16