Row of medals puts Kiwis on top of the world
Led by their women’s crews, Rowing NZ had a stellar 2014. Ian Anderson looks back.
NEW ZEALAND’S status as a rowing superpower was confirmed this year.
Kiwi boats collected a stunning medal haul of nine at the world championships in Amsterdam – six gold, two silver and a bronze – to further emphasise the country’s excellence on the water.
The haul saw New Zealand recognised as the most successful nation at the world champs and marked the country’s best as likely Olympic stars at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Following a return of three gold and two bronze medals at London 2012, Rowing NZ made its goal to qualify boats in all 14 Olympic classes for Rio. While that yet may be a boat or two too far, it has a stack of contenders.
It was a break-through year for Emma Twigg, who established herself as the premier women’s single sculler in the world after a long apprenticeship.
The 27-year-old won all three World Cup titles in the build-up to Amsterdam then saw off fierce rival Kim Crow of Australia in a powerful display to win her first senior world championship title.
However, next year looms as a problematic one for Twigg and Rowing NZ, with Twigg’s study schedule overseas taking her out of the programme. The organisation has yet to bend to meet with Twigg’s desire to still be available late next season to contest the 2015 world champs, which doubles as the main Olympic qualifying regatta.
That could see Twigg required to qualify the boat for Rio at a ‘‘last chance’’ regatta in Lucerne in early 2016.
There’s no such headaches with the programme’s golden boys, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray.
Not satisfied with being unbeaten for five years in the men’s pair, they added the coxed pair to their world championship schedule in 2014 and, in combination with Caleb Shepherd, won both golds in Amsterdam.
‘‘I guess we put ourselves on the line – we had a lot of critics and people saying [we had] taken on a lot trying to do two events,’’ Murray said.
‘‘We knew that but we were pretty confident in our abilities and I guess that paid off.’’
The emergence of some new stars was also a massive boost for Rowing NZ ahead of next year’s Olympic qualifying campaign.
Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast won silver in their pairs debut at World Cup level, then won an under-23 world championship gold before teaming up with Kayla Pratt and Kelsey Bevan in a new four to win gold in Amsterdam in a world’s-best time.
Sophie MacKenzie also achieved the under-23/senior world championships gold medal double. She teamed up with Julia Edward in the women’s lightweight double scull just prior to Amsterdam, which capped off a sensational year for Edward, who won two World Cup lightweight single scull titles earlier in the year.
Women’s double scullers Fi Bourke and Zoe Stevenson gained revenge for an agonisingly close loss to Lithuania last year by winning gold this time, while the pair of Rebecca Scown and Louise Trappitt claimed bronze.
Five-times world champion men’s single sculler Mahe Drysdale had to bow to great rival Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic, while an injury to James Lassche hampered the lightweight men’s four as they took silver behind archrivals Denmark.