Twigg off to fast start at world champs

New Zealand’s single scullers made excellent starts to the world rowing championships in the Czech Republic.

Olympic champion Emma Twigg led the way with victory in her heat in her first international appearance since winning in Tokyo last year.

The 35-year-old, who missed competing in two World Cup regattas in Europe earlier this year due to illness, raced to victory on day one in Racice in 7min 31.92sec to advance to the quarterfinals.

That was less than 2sec slower than the best time in the heats of the women’s single scull, set by Australia’s

Tara Rigney, while recently crowned European champion Karolien Florijn, of the Netherlands, was another heat winner.

Jordan Parry was second in his men’s single scull heat behind Germany’s Oliver Zeidler in an excellent time of 6:48.33, with Zeidler, the reigning world champion, 2sec ahead as they both cruised into the quarterfinals.

Parry, 26, had a disappointing Tokyo Olympics after winning the seat ahead of two-time defending Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale, but said recently he’d learnt plenty from that setback and was excited about his first world championships in the single.

New Zealand’s Jackie Kiddle won her lightweight women’s single scull heat in 7:34.14 to advance to the semifinals.

Kiddle was named to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in the lightweight double, but the retirement prior to the Games of crewmate Zoe Mcbride left her without a partner and subsequently led to the withdrawal of the boat from the New Zealand crews which contested the Olympics.

Kiddle will also race the lightweight double at the world championships with crewmate Rachael Kennedy.

The Kiwi men’s pair of Matt MacDonald and Tom Mackintosh were second in their heat in 6:26.06 behind Spain to ease into the semifinals, while the New Zealand lightweight men’s double Matthew Dunham and Chris Stockley were fifth in their heat and will next contest a repechage.