Toronto's Beare among medal winners in four-medal day

August 17, 2008

Jim Byers

BEIJING - It's four medal day for Canada at the Summer Olympics.

The Canadian lightweight double sculls team of Melanie Kok and Tracy Cameron hung on by the length of a Michael Phelps fingernail Sunday and eked out a bronze medal at the Beijing rowing course.

Kok and Cameron just held off the Germans to finish on the podium in a race won by the Netherlands. Finland came second and got the silver medal.

Kok and Cameron were coming on strong this week but weren't necessarily favoured to win a medal. They were in second place halfway through the race, right behind the Germans. But Finland came charging past, and the favoured Dutch team turned it on for the gold. It was all Canada could do to keep Germany from the bronze, as Canada won by a mere four one-hundredths of a second. The Canadians were timed in 6:56.68, with Germany at 6:56.72.

Kok is from St. Catharines, while Cameron is from Shubenacadie, N.S. but lives in Calgary.

"We had to find a little something extra to get beyond them," Kok told the CBC. "Just close your eyes and go."

Earlier, Ryan Cochrane of Victoria won Canada's first bronze of the day with a third-place finish in the 1,500 freestyle swim event; Canada's first medal of the Games in the swimming pool.

And the Canadian lightweight men's four team today picked up Canada's third bronze medal of the day.

The team, which consists of Iain Brambell of Victoria, Jon Beare, who was born in Toronto, Mike Lewis of Victoria, and Liam Parsons of Thunder Bay, was in second place at the halfway point before briefly slipping into fourth. But they rallied down the stretch to come third and pick up yet another podium finish for a Canadian Olympic squad that was on a starvation diet for the first week of the Beijing Games.

"Our plan was to get off to strong start," said Parsons. "With all the excitement it got a little rough in the middle. But in the last 500 (metres) we seemed to get our rhythm together, and when Iain said 'Go for it' we all committed everything we had."

The Canadians were the fastest boat over the final 500 metres.

It was an emotional week for the team. Their coach, Bent Jensen, is suffering from cancer and has been getting chemotherapy in his Beijing hotel room.

Canada's men's eights rowing team Sunday captured Canada's second gold medal of the games and fourth medal of the day.

After sparking national headlines by going without a medal in the first seven days, Canada suddenly is up to seven medals overall; two gold, a silver and four bronze.