British rowing duo qualify in record time

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning confirmed their status as gold medal favourites as they stormed into the final of the women’s pair in a new Olympic record time.

Roared on by a packed crowd at Eton Dorney, Glover and Stanning won the opening heat of the Olympic regatta in a time of six minutes and 57.29 seconds, beating the previous best by over four seconds.