Two-time Olympic gold medalist Alessio Sartori and his new partner Romano Battisti beat the favourites from Slovenia by 1.55 seconds to take silver in the double sculls on Thursday in the 2012 Olympic Rowing Regatta at Eton.
Sartori and Battisti steadily edged their way forward during the 2-kilometre race, hitting the 500m marker in fifth place and pulling into fourth at the 1000m marker before breaking into first around the 1500m marker.
In the last 250 metres, New Zealanders Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan—who had been in fifth place for most of the race—broke out into a sprint and crossed the finish line with a 6:31.67 to win. Sartori and Battisti finished 1.13 seconds later, followed by the Slovenian pair, Luka Spik and Iztok Cop, who lead the pack for most of the race.
Both members of the Guardia di Finanzia, Italy's financial law enforcement agency, in Lazio, Sartori and Battisti took an unusual road to their silver medal. The duo was only selected for the Olympics this April, after pairing up last fall and training on their own in Sabaudia according to a long-unused training programme by Dr. Giuseppe La Mura, who guided the Abbagnale brothers to win a total of seven Olympic gold medals in the late 1900s and early 2000s.
This morning, Niccolo' Mornati and Lorenzo Carboncini will row in the men's pair rowing finals. The duo ranked second in the semi-finals and has a solid chance at medaling.
