Manson lays his cards on the table

Suggesting he has ‘‘put his cards on the table’’ may well be Kiwi rower Robbie Manson’s biggest understatement of the year.

In fact, the 27-year-old effectively delivered a lay-down mise`re to his international elite single sculling rivals at the World Cup regatta in Poznan, Poland on Sunday.

Manson flew down the Lake Malta course faster than any rower previously, setting a new world best time of six minutes 30.74 seconds for the 2000m distance, eclipsing fellow Kiwi Mahe Drysdale’s previous mark by three seconds.

’’I was prepared to come over here and put all my cards on the table first up,’’ said Manson, ‘‘rather than holding something back … I knew that I was in good form and I wanted to show what I could do.’’

And he certainly did that, the international sculling rookie leaving several of the world’s premier oarsmen in his wake as he won by eight seconds, a staggering margin in such a competitive event.

‘‘The time was a surprise,’’ said Manson, ‘‘but I have been doing some really quick times at home in training.

‘‘I had been within three seconds of the world’s best time in conditions that weren’t that fast … so I knew that I had a really good performance in me.

‘‘I was lucky the conditions were so fast and I put together the best race I could on the day. It just worked out that it was a new world best time, which is pretty awesome to do in my first time [representing New Zealand at World Cup level] in a single.’’

Manson knew the conditions favoured fast times after the women’s pair of Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler set a new world best time in an earlier final on Sunday. ‘‘I have been doing the same or better prognostic times as them, plus the water looked quick and felt quick.’’

He admitted he was nervous heading into his first international single final but soon left the butterflies behind.

‘‘I only looked down at my speed twice in the race, once at the first 500 metres and it actually looked quite slow so I thought maybe I was just off the pace, then I looked again with 500 to go and I saw the speed was still quite fast so I kept my foot on the gas right to the line.

‘‘It wasn’t until I crossed the line that I looked at the big screen, saw the time and it sort of blew me away. I was shocked and elated at the same time.’’

With race-time adrenaline flowing through his veins, Manson recalls feeling strong at the finish, suggesting there may be more in the tank. ‘‘I didn’t die at all. I felt like I was just as strong to the last stroke.’’

He puts his startling rise in the single down to ‘‘a lot of little things’’. He has added a few kilos to his already impressive frame, made small improvements to his strength, erg performance and technique, plus relishes working with NZ coach Noel Donaldson.

‘‘It’s probably just a combination of things that are working out, and I haven’t had any injury issues, touch wood. I’ve come overseas for the first time in three years without any injury niggles,’’ said the double Olympian, who competed in London in the quad and Rio in the double .

‘‘The single is well suited to my personality … although I always thought I was too small to be competitive in the single. I thought you had to be two metres tall and pull 640 on the erg to be able to keep up.

‘‘My goal was to win the single at the nationals and be selected in the single, then to race in it and see how I got on.

‘‘A couple of months ago I still wasn’t sure how things were going then I did a couple of faster pieces and realised that I was actually going a lot better than I expected.’’

The Wairau Rowing Club oarsman’s next assignment is in England. From his training base in Belgium, Manson will travel to the Henley Royal Regatta on June 28, then back to Lucerne for the third and final World Cup regatta starting July 7, before returning home to prepare for the season’s major objective, the world championships in Sarasota, Florida from September 24.

He knows his efforts in Poland have painted a sizeable target on his back and with other formidable opponents, such as with multiple world champion Ondrej Synek, yet to front, his cards may be on the table but the world championship pot has yet to be claimed.

‘‘I feel like it is going to get a lot harder, so I need to be ready for that,’’ added Manson.

‘‘My win on Sunday gives me the confidence to keep doing what I am doing because I feel that it’s working. Hopefully it keeps heading in that direction.’’