Small medal count for NZ

A Covid-19 affected New Zealand rowing team has work to peak for the world championships in September.

The team collected a gold and a bronze medal from the final World Cup regatta of the season in Lucerne, Switzerland, after Covid stopped some team members from competing while others were still recovering from illness.

Olympic champions Grace Prendergast and Kerri Williams (ne´ e Gowler) won gold in the women’s pair on Sunday night in a tense finish against a surging Romanian crew.

The New Zealanders held on to win in a time of six minutes 56.51 seconds, heading home the silver medallists by just 0.11sec, with Great Britain claiming bronze.

It was still an impressive performance by the two-times world champs in the event – who also won silver in the eight at last year’s Tokyo Olympics – after they misssed the recent Henley Royal Regatta in London.

New Zealand’s other medal came from the women’s four of Phoebe Spoors, Beth Ross, Davina Waddy and Catherine Layburn.

hey backed up their win at Henley with bronze in 6:25.10, just behind silver medallists Romania with Great Britain comfortable winners. After a win at Henley, the Kiwi men’s pair of Matt Macdonald and Tom Mackintosh finished out of the medals.

The pair, part of the gold medal-winning eight in Tokyo, were fourth in their A final, 2.76s behind bronze medallists Serbia with GB heading off Australia for gold.

No other Kiwi boats made the finals, the women’s quad winning their B final, while Tokyo Olympics women’s gold medallist Emma Twigg missed the regatta having caught Covid prior to Henley. The world event is in Racice, Czech Republic, from September 18-25.