The remaining 3 boats (3rd and 4th placers in the repechage heats) competed in the "B" final for 7th through 9th place.

The Chinese boat (making the country's Olympic rowing debut) and the South Korean boat (making the country's second Olympic rowing appearance—South Korea had sent a men's eight in 1964) were well behind the other teams.

[3] The repechage was held on August 1, during calm winds on a cooler day than the heats (16 °C vs. 27 °C).

[3] The Dutch team led early and finished with an easy win, more than 5 seconds ahead.

China, however, pushed them hard in the second half, narrowing the distance to only a half-second win by the British boat.

The two teams that had advanced from the second repechage heat battled for the bronze medal, with the Australians winning a tight race with a "last minute push."

The West Germany boat kept close to the others early but eventually finished 5 seconds out of fifth place.