Rowing

Maine natives Anna Goodale of Camden and Elle Logan of Boothbay will advance with their eight-woman rowing team to Sunday’s finals after claiming victory in Monday’s heat at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park, according to USRowing.org.

The U.S. women’s eight of coxswain Mary Whipple (Sacramento, Calif.), Caryn Davies (Ithaca, N.Y.), Caroline Lind (Greensboro, N.C.), Susan Francia (Abington, Pa.), Anna Cummins (Bellevue, Wash.), Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine), Anna Goodale (Camden, Maine), Lindsay Shoop (Charlottesville, Va.) and Erin Cafaro (Modesto, Calif.) won its heat by 2.15 seconds to advance to Sunday’s final.

The crew took the lead during the first 500 meters and continued to build on its advantage through the 1,500-meter mark. The U.S. crossed the finish line with a time of 6:06.53, with Great Britain finishing in second place. Romania won the other final in a 6:05.77 to grab the other automatic qualifying spot in the final.

The men’s eight of coxswain Marcus McElhenney (Lansdowne, Pa.), Bryan Volpenhein (Cincinnati, Ohio), Josh Inman (Hillsboro, Ore.), Steven Coppola (Buffalo, N.Y.), Dan Walsh (Norwalk, Conn.), Wyatt Allen (Portland, Maine), Micah Boyd (St. Paul, Minn.), Matt Schnobrich (St. Paul, Minn.) and Beau Hoopman (Plymouth, Wis.) finished second in its heat and will now have to race in the repechage on Tuesday.

The crew sat in first place at the 500-meter mark before Great Britain took command in the middle 1,000 meters. The British crew finished with a time of 5:25.89, with the Americans finishing 3.71 seconds behind in a 5:29.60. Canada controlled the other heat, clocking a 5:27.69 to win by more than seven seconds.

“Great Britain sort of controlled the middle 1,000 meters, and obviously, we have to go back and try to find a way to contain them there,” Allen said in a statement on USRowing.org. “We’re going to go into the rep tomorrow and just try to row a fast race and hopefully get ourselves into the final. Hats off to them, they controlled the race and beat us out there.”