World champs silver for NZ pair

NEW Zealand’s Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler took silver in the women’s pair at the world championships in Bulgaria on Saturday night.

The reigning world champions, Prendergast and Gowler finished second in the semifinal behind a Canadian pair and the result was repeated in the final.

New Zealand led early, but Canada took the lead shortly after the 500m mark and could not be caught. A Spanish pair took third place.

In the men’s pair, Thomas Murray and Michael Brake of New Zealand missed out on a medal, as the Sinkovic brothers of Croatia won gold, Rom ania took silver and France took bronze. Murray and Brake placed a narrow fifth, with only 0.3sec between them and fourthplaced Canada.

New Zealand’s Zoe McBride and Jackie Kiddle could not medal in the lightweight women’s double sculls, despite impressive efforts in both the heats and semifinal.

Romania won, the United States was second and the Netherlands took bronze.

New Zealand’s Ben van Dalen and Matthew Dunham took an impressive fourth place in the lightweight men’s double sculls, after making a comeback from sixth position at the 1500m mark. Ireland’s Gary and Paul O’Donovan were ahead at the 1500m mark and eventually took gold, Italy took silver and Belgium took bronze.

In the men’s quad final, New Zealand just missed out on a medal.

Nathan Flannery, Mahe Drysdale, Cameron Crampton and Lewis Hollows missed out on bronze by just over 0.1sec, as Italy took gold, Australia silver and Ukraine bronze.