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.

Glover and Stanning controlled the race from the outset, leading the field by a half a length at the 500 metre time-check before pulling smoothly clear to beat the United States crew by a length.

The defending Olympic champions Romania came a surprise third and will have to negotiate the repechages to reach Wednesday’s final.