Double Sculls, Women

With a different partners, Martina Schröter of East Germany had won the women’s double sculls in three consecutive editions of the World Championships (1983, 1985, and 1986) and, with Birgit Peter, was considered the favorite for the event at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Bulgarians Violeta Ninova and Stefka Madina, the reigning World Champions, were also considered contenders, as was Romania’s Elisabeta Lipă, the defending Olympic champion who had, with different partners, had been runner-up at the last three World Championships and a bronze medalists in 1983. In Seoul she was paired with Liliana Geneş.

In the opening round, East Germany won its heat over four seconds faster than Romania, its nearest competitor and the other heat winner, who in turn was nearly three seconds quicker than Bulgaria. The Soviet duo of Marina Zhukova and Mariya Omelianovych, finishing three seconds after Bulgaria, was the only other nation anywhere near these results. In the final, Schröter and Peter were even more dominant, capturing gold by a margin of almost four seconds. Romania, meanwhile, had substituted Veronica Cogeanu for Geneş and had to settle for silver, finishing comfortably ahead of Bulgaria, who in turn was nearly seven seconds ahead of the Soviet Union.