Sophie Hosking and partner Katherine Copeland will race for gold this weekend after making it through to the final of the lightweight double sculls.

The pair came won their semi final in a time of 7.05.90 this morning – the fastest qualifying time for the final - and also won their heat last Sunday.

They will now race for gold in the final on Saturday. Hosking, a former AFC Wimbledon footballer who has a degree in chemistry having studied at the University of Durham, said her relationship with Copeland drove the pair on.

Hosking, a member of the London Rowing Club in Putney, told the Northern Echo: "We've got to know each other really well. “We've basically lived together since the last World Cup about a month ago. I think we spend more time together than a married couple.

“When you're together that much, you can't fail to get close and start to learn what makes the other person tick. That's really confidence-boosting because it helps you work together on the water.

“When you're rowing as a pair, you have to be completely in synch with what the other person is doing. You have to get your timing absolutely right and work as one. If you know what the other person is going to do, it's easier to do that.”

Hosking’s father, David Hosking, was a member of Great Britain's lightweight eight crew that won gold at the 1980 World Championships and was also part of the 12-man Britannia III crew that took part in the 2009 Atlantic Rowing Race.

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