12th place finish for rowers Jill Moffatt, Jennifer Casson - ThePeterboroughExaminer.com

Bethany’s Jill Moffatt and partner Jennifer Casson rowed to a sixth place finish in the lightweight women’s double sculls B final for a 12th overall finish on Thursday morning at the Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

They settled into fifth place in the opening 500 metres and held the spot through 1000m. They were overtaken by Belarus in the third quarter of the race and the two crews exchanged positions down the stretch with Belarus edging them at the line. Canada finished in 6:59.72. Switzerland won the race in 6:49.16.

Italy, who set a world record in the semifinals, roared from behind to edge France at the wire by 0.12 seconds for the gold medal. Netherlands, the world champions and pre-Olympic favourites, led until the final few metres when they caught a crab and slipped to third place 0.49 seconds behind Italy.

Moffatt and Casson finished second in their opening heat Saturday but were relegated to the B final on Tuesday with a sixth place result in the semifinals.

It was the first Olympic experience for both Moffatt, 28, and Casson, of Kingston, who first rowed as a double in 2019 placing eighth at the World Rowing Championships that year. The result eventually qualified them for Tokyo.

Moffatt is an alumnus of the Peterborough Rowing Club and University of Western Ontario rowing teams.

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12th place finish for rowers Jill Moffatt, Jennifer Casson - ThePeterboroughExaminer.com
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