Argentina dominate first day of Pan-Am rowing

Argentina won three of the four rowing gold medals and Colombia was joined by Venezuela atop the cycling podiums on a good day for South America at the Pan-American Games on Monday.

The United States dominated shooting and equestrian dressage with three more gold medals.

Gabriela Best, single sculls silver medallist at the 2007 Rio Games, and Laura Abalo began the Argentine assault of the rowing finals at Lake Zapotlan winning the women's coxless pair with the United States taking silver and Canada bronze.

"The next goal is London, I want to be Olympic," Abalo told the Argentine sports daily Ole.

In perfect, sunny weather, the men's coxless four followed up with another gold ahead of Canada and Cuba and the double sculls pairing of Cristian Rosso and Ariel Suarez made it a hat-trick.

The first of the day's four finals, the women's double sculls, was won by Cuba's Yariulvis Cobas and Aimee Hernandez ahead of the US pair with the Canadians third.