Medals galore for Kiwis
New Zealand rowers scooped six golds and one silver medal on a stellar final day of racing at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland yesterday.
With nine crews competing in eight A finals on the concluding day, the result wrapped up a successful international campaign with the team looking formidable ahead of September’s world championships.
Single sculler Robbie Manson was in a class of his own, leaving a strong field including double Olympic medallist and four-time world champion Ondrej Synek floundering.
He collected gold in a time of 6:49.08, two boat lengths clear of Olympic finalist Angel FournierRodriguez of Cuba in silver and Stanislau Shcharbachenia of Belarus in bronze.
It was a closer race for gold medallists John Storey and Chris Harris in the men’s double sculls A final.
Poland’s Miroslaw Zietarski and Mateusz Biskup looked dangerous as they unleashed a late sprint. Storey and Harris hung on for the win with just over half a second to spare.
Brooke Donoghue and Olivia Loe won gold in the women’s double sculls with a dominant display that honoured the late Martin Hyde, a chief umpire and father of their former under-23 team-mate Claudia Hyde. After a close start, Donoghue and Loe, who were wearing black armbands in memory of Hyde, made themselves known and pushed out to an unbeatable lead.
Donoghue and Loe scooped their second World Cup gold medal in a time of 6:50.20.
‘‘It always feels closer out there than it looks on the camera. I never felt I could ease up. I had my foot down the whole time,’’ Loe said.
Zoe McBride and Jackie Kiddle scored their first World Cup gold in the lightweight women’s double sculls.
McBride and Kiddle hung back at the start before attacking at the 750m mark. In an outstanding display of sculling, the duo moved into an untouchable lead.
Jamie Hunter and Tom Murray blitzed the rest of the field to win gold in the men’s pair.
The A final featured a packed line-up, including Olympic and world champions Martin and Veltn Sinkovic of Croatia, who are racing their debut season in the pair following a glittering double sculls career, Henley champions Valentin and Theo Onfroy of France, and junior world champions Mihaita-Vasile Tiganescu and Cosmin Pacari of Romania.
The duo crossed the line in a blistering time of 6:34.50, with the Sinkovic brothers just over a second behind in silver, and the Onfroy brothers sneaking in for bronze.
Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler won their second World Cup gold in the women’s pair.
The world best time holders added gold to their haul, which includes gold at the World Rowing Cup II in Poznan and the the women’s pair title at the Henley Royal Regatta.
The New Zealand women’s eight, coxed by Sam Bosworth, were eventually outfoxed by the Romanians, who unleashed a powerful surge for the line.
The European champions scored gold in 6:02.81 with the New Zealanders just two seconds behind.