Lindsay Burns and Holly Brunkow were the...

Lindsay Burns and Holly Brunkow were the fastest qualifiers for thew final of the women’s lightweight double scull at the World Rowing Championships on Lake Barrington in Australia.

The unheralded American women were timed in 7 minutes 8.97 seconds in winning the first heat over Canada and Australia.

Brunkow, rowing coach at Oregon State, and Burns, a native of Billings, Mont., who is studying neuropsychology in Cambridge, England, became the second U.S. pair to qualify for a final.

Kris Karlson, a dual gold medalist in lightweight events at last year’s championships, teamed with Alison Townley for a heat victory in the open double sculls and a berth in Saturday’s final.