Kiwi boats impress at worlds
New Zealand’s top boats all progressed smoothly to their next stages on the opening day of the world rowing championships in Bulgaria.
The world champion women’s pair and men’s double sculls both won their heats in style to advance to the semifinals in Plovdiv, as did the Kiwi lightweight women’s double sculls crew.
Men’s single sculler Robbie Manson also cruised into his quarterfinal, along with the men’s pair and lightweight men’s double sculls.
However, the new men’s quad combination featuring dual Olympic men’s single sculls gold medal winner
Mahe Drysdale were fifth in their heat and forced into a repechage.
Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler have won both World Cups they contested this year and continued that form in their women’s pair heat, winning in
6min 56.06sec by a huge margin. Chris Harris and John Storey were also in top form in the men’s double, heading home Ireland by
10sec in 6:02.23.
Manson won his heat in 6:53.58 after leading throughout while Zoe McBride and Jackie Kiddle were less than 3sec outside the world’s best time for women’s lightweight double scullers in recording the fastest overall time in winning their heat.
The men’s pair of Tom Murray and Michael Brake were third in their heat to advance to the quarterfinals, the lightweight men’s double of Ben van Dalen and Matt Dunham were fourth to progress to the quarterfinals while the New Zealand men’s four and quad face repechages.