HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England — Wesley Piermarini and Elliot Hovey got a strong tuneup for the Beijing Olympics by winning the Double Sculls Challenge of the Henley Royal Regatta today.

The pair from the California Rowing Club in Oakland beat Peter and Thomas Graves of Bantam Boat Club in Cincinnati by 1¼ lengths on the regatta's final day.

Piermarini and Hovey took control early in the race for international double scullers. The outcome repeated the result of the final of the U.S. Olympic trials last month.

Piermarini and Hovey were later part of California Rowing Club boat in the Queen Mother Cup for international quadruple scullers. They lost to the only other entry, the Olympic-bound quad from Estonia, racing as Viljandi and Narva Energia, that cruised to a 2¼-length win.

California's second quadruple sculls crew, racing in the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup for intermediate quads, beat an English composite from London and Leander clubs by 1¼ lengths.

In the final of the Grand Challenge Cup for international eights, the regatta's most prestigious event, the University of Southern California, with six members of the Estonian national eight aboard, lost to Canada's Victoria City and Kingston by two lengths.

In the final of the Temple Challenge Cup for student eights, Trinity College of Connecticut made an early mistake and the University of Western Ontario in Canada took advantage. Trinity caught an oar in the water and lurched to one side, allowing the Canadians to push ahead after a few strokes and go on to a 2¾-length victory.