Special report:   2008 Olympic Games    

    By sportswriter Feng Jian     

    BEIJING, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Swindell Georgina and Swindell Caroline are twin sisters known almost to everybody in their home country New Zealand for their excellent performance in the women’s rowing races in the past decade. Now they are coming to the Beijing Olympics with high hopes to reap more.

    The sisters, born on October 10, 1978 in Hastings of New Zealand, started rowing in 1994 and have snatched altogether 10 medals. They began to reap medals in 2001 and came out first in the W2 race in the Athens Olympics with a result of 07:01.79.

    They also competed in the W4 class. They won the 2000m race in the Rowing World Cup's third regatta in Poznan Malta of Poland in June of 2008 with a result of 07:31.45.

    In November 2005, they were named Rowing Female Crew of the Year by the International Rowing Federation (FISA). In 2001, Swindell Caroline won silver at the World Championships in both the double and quadruple sculls. Together with her sister, she won gold at both the 2002 and 2003 Rowing World Championships in the double sculls. She also won, again with her sister, the 2004 Olympic gold medal.

    New Zealand rowing selectors in early March named 12 rowers who secured the berths for the Beijing Olympic Games in August, including the twin sisters. Being 1.8 meters high and 80 kilos in weight, they compose a strong challenge to their rivals from Europe.

    The first challenge comes from Britain. The British team won the silver medal in the W2 race in Athens, followed by Germany.

    UK Sport expects its national team to come back home from the Beijing Olympics with a total of 35 medals including 10 to 12 golds. Rowing is regarded as Britain's strong event. Other powerful challengers also include Bulgaria and Romania.

    With all the challenges in sight, the New Zealand twin sisters would try their best to grab the gold medal. New Zealand rowing fund managers said that they send top-end athletes to the Olympics.

    "Medals are important," Rowing New Zealand's high performance manager Andrew Metheson said recently.

    "Our selection criteria is top six with a chance of a medal. We have seven boats qualified for the Games (Beijing Olympics) that fit that criteria," he said.

    At last year's world rowing championships in Munich, Germany, New Zealand won three gold medals. Of the Beijing Olympics squad, most the athletes have won senior world titles in the last three years.