Women's eight concede they must pull out all the stops

ROWING duo Carla Ashford and Jess Eddie have it all to do in Beijing on Wednesday if they're to claim a surprise Olympic podium spot.

Competing in the women's eight - Britain trailed home second in heat one and must now go into a Repechage if they're to make the final and continue their quest to land Beijing gold.

America finished first in a competitive heat in a time of 6.06.53, with the British crew trailing home more than two seconds behind.

Eddie and Ashford refused to be downcast after chasing down an experienced German and Canadian boat after a sluggish opening 500m.

"The conditions were just like home and that suited me right down to the ground," said Ashford, who landed World Championship bronze in the women's eight in 2007.

"We had our race suspended because of the weather on Monday and we were a bit gutted but we got ourselves back out there and put in a good performance.

"We were definitely going out there to win and that would have been great but the US were behind us straight away.

"I think we were not quick enough out of the blocks and we have loads of areas for improvement so we are really looking forward to the next race.

"We don't get to the final until we get through the Repechage so we have to treat that like our ‘final' next and then make the best of that."

Eddie, 23, who was a double bronze medalist at the World under-23 Championships, admitted anything other than a final berth would be a disappointment.

"It is a strong field and a tough event. I think we could get a final place, I don't see why we shouldn't be up there and racing to get to the final.

"The plan for the next race is to get to the final; we can't start thinking about medals until we make the final."

MATTHEW DAVIS in Beijing