"Lay Down Sally" in last chance to qualify for Beijing

BRISBANE, Australia (Reuters) - Controversial Australian rower Sally Robbins will have one last chance to gain selection for the Beijing Olympics when trials continue in Sydney on Tuesday.

Robbins was dubbed "Lay Down Sally" when she stopped rowing towards the end of the women's eights final in Athens four years ago, slumping into the lap of the rower behind her.

She is now trying to qualify for Beijing in the heavyweight double scull but her results have not been impressive.

The 27-year-old teamed up with Sonia Mills on Sunday but was beaten by women's lightweight double scull world champions Marguerite Houston and Amber Halliday. It was the third time Houston and Halliday had defeated Robbins at the trials.

Boats qualify for the Olympics rather than individual rowers, so selectors are rotating athletes to try to find the best crews. The boats then go to a final qualifying regatta in Poland bidding to secure one of the two Olympics places up for grabs.

Without a win over the weekend, Robbins's chances of selection appear doomed.

Her absence would not cause too many tears to be shed among her team mates according to Australian media reports.

"All the rowers on the team know and think (Robbins) needs to have a fair go but there are benefits with her missing selection," one rower told Australian Associated Press at the start of the trials.

"Personally I felt sorry for the guys in the eight who won bronze on the same day that Sally lay down, and the guys in the lightweight four who took silver. That was all drowned out by the hubbub of what she did.

"It would be really unfortunate if that happened again in Beijing."

(Reporting by Andrew Stevens; Editing by Peter Rutherford)