Australia have fallen inches short of a silver medal in the women’s 1500m Olympic rowing pairs on Friday night (AEST).
The Aussie duo of Jess Morrison and Annabelle McIntyre were in second position for almost the entire race until being pipped at the line by Romania.
Morrison and McIntyre tried to stick with runaway race leaders Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester from the Netherlands early in the race.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
The Aussies were within five seconds of the Dutch at the halfway mark, at which point Australian rowing great James Tomkins thought they could still challenge for gold.
“OK, critical that the girls don’t let the Dutch get any further ahead,” Tomkins said on Nine.
“They’ve just got to plan on pushing back on the Dutch. The Dutch are an incredible crew, though.”
But Clevering and Meester were an unstoppable force, only extending their lead thereafter.
The silver medal was still up for grabs though, and the Aussies looked set to claim it for 1450 of the 1500 metres until Romania spoiled the party in the final few seconds of the race.
“Romania are really challenging Australia here. Australia have to fight for that silver medal,” Matt Hill said on Nine in the dying stages of the race.
“The Netherlands are going to win it cleanly, but Romania are coming over the top of Australia.
“It’s stroke-for-stroke for the silver medal — Romania just getting their bow in front.
“I think Romania are going to take the silver medal… they do! And it’s going to be bronze for Australia.”
Tomkins said the Aussies’ aggressive tactics to stay with the Dutch early in the race might have come back to bite them in the end.
“Well, what a fantastic race by the Dutch crew, just a beautiful execution of their race,” he said.
“Our girls put it all on the line, tried to hang with the Dutch, they knew that they had to go with the Dutch early.
“It cost them a bit down the other end of the race and that’s where the Romanians got over the top of them, but what a fantastic performance by Jess Morrison and Annabelle McIntyre to come away with a bronze medal in what was an incredibly hot field.”
The Netherlands had never won a medal in this event until Friday’s effort.
“That was a nailbiter ‘til the very, very end,” Ally Langdon said on Nine after the race.