| Event: | Women's coxless pairs |
| Games: | 1988 Summer |
| Date: | 19–24 September |
| Competitors: | 20 |
| Nations: | 10 |
| Win Value: | 7:28.13 |
| Goldnoc: | ROU |
| Silvernoc: | BUL |
| Bronzenoc: | NZL |
| Next: | 1992 |
The women's coxless pairs rowing competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place at the Han River Regatta Course in Seoul, Korea. The event was held from 19 to 24 September.
The Romanian rower Rodica Arba had competed in the event since the 1981 season,[1] and dominated it—with different partners—since the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,[2] where she won gold with Elena Horvat.[3] She gained the 1985 World Rowing Championships title with Horvat,[4] and won the 1986 and 1987 World Rowing Championships with Olga Homeghi.[5] [6] Arba and Homeghi were the only team favoured to have a chance of winning the event at the 1988 Olympics. The East German rowers were regarded as medal contenders, as they had gained medals in the event at the last three World Championships. Canada were the reigning Pan American champions.
| Rank | Rower | Country | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katrin Schröder Kerstin Spittler | 7:59.10 | FA | ||
| 2 | Lynley Hannen Nikki Payne | 8:02.39 | R | ||
| 3 | Mara Keggi Barbara Kirch | 8:16.85 | R | ||
| 4 | Marina Smorodina Sarmīte Stone | 8:23.68 | R | ||
| 5 | Gong Jeong-bae Lee Byeong-in | 8:34.90 | R |
| Rank | Rower | Country | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodica Arba Olga Homeghi | 7:42.53 | FA | ||
| 2 | Radka Stoyanova Lalka Berberova | 7:48.68 | R | ||
| 3 | Kirsten Barnes Sarah Ann Ogilvie | 8:09.51 | R | ||
| 4 | Alison Bonner Kim Thomas | 8:14.52 | R | ||
| 5 | Bettina Kämpf Cordula Keller | 8:19.76 | R |
| Rank | Rower | Country | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynley Hannen Nikki Payne | 7:59.93 | FA | ||
| 2 | Marina Smorodina Sarmīte Stone | 8:07.67 | FA | ||
| 3 | Kirsten Barnes Sarah Ann Ogilvie | 8:11.49 | FB | ||
| 4 | Bettina Kämpf Cordula Keller | 8:20.13 | FB |
| Rank | Rower | Country | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radka Stoyanova Lalka Berberova | 7:50.94 | FA | ||
| 2 | Mara Keggi Barbara Kirch | 8:05.55 | FA | ||
| 3 | Alison Bonner Kim Thomas | 8:13.13 | FB | ||
| 4 | Gong Jeong-Bae Lee Byeong-In | 8:18.62 | FB |
| Rank | Rower | Country | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Kirsten Barnes Sarah Ann Ogilvie | 8:09.10 | ||
| 8 | Alison Bonner Kim Thomas | 8:15.20 | ||
| 9 | Bettina Kämpf Cordula Keller | 8:22.08 | ||
| 10 | Gong Jeong-Bae Lee Byeong-In | 8:25.14 |
| Rank | Rower | Country | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodica Arba Olga Homeghi | 7:28.13 | |||
| Radka Stoyanova Lalka Berberova | 7:31.95 | |||
| Nikki Payne Lynley Hannen | 7:35.68 | |||
| 4 | Kerstin Spittler Katrin Schröder | 7:40.47 | ||
| 5 | Sarmīte Stone Marina Smorodina | 7:53.19 | ||
| 6 | Barbara Kirch Mara Keggi | 7:56.27 |