National champs marked by close races and a high standard
I headed down to Twizel last weekend to watch my daughter and a number of Aramoho Whanganui Rowing Club members compete at the 2019 Rocket Foods New Zealand Rowing Championships, held from February 19 to 23.
Although this regatta, which mainly caters for non-school rowers and our elite, had 757 competitors compared to more than 2000 at the NZ Secondary School Rowing Champs (Maadi Cup), there was some good and close racing.
This was particularly true on the last day of finals, when water conditions were excellent.
I understand the weather/water conditions for most of the week were variable, which is to be expected with an outdoor sport, although the first day of finals, due to kick off about 8am, had numerous and significant delays.
Due to weather, they eventually needed to race 1000m (non-held) heats for Under 19 events, while the 2000m finals were being raced from about 5.30pm-8pm last Friday night.
Aramoho entered 23 crews, who made 12 A finals and won three medals.
By their high standards, it would have been a slightly disappointing regatta for them, with four other crews gaining fourth place, but no championship title or gold medal to bring home.
In saying that, the Men’s Club Coxless Quad and Coxed Four of Petone’s Matt Cummings and AWRC’s Cameron Lawrence, Jack Pringle and Adrian Van Bussell, along with Campbell Monk (cox, in the Coxed Four) had an outstanding regatta.
This crew had little time together to form combinations, but had a really determined and positive mindset with their coach, the experienced Des Lock.
They won a very comfortable silver medal in the Quad and a wellearned bronze in the Coxed Four.
Jonty Thomson and Levi
Carroll, who were very light but capable A finalists in the Maadi Under 18 Pair and Double last season, fought a very gutsy, “never say never” race in the Under 19 Double Sculls, snatching the bronze medal on the line by 0.29 seconds.
Aramoho’s fourth placings came from the Women’s Senior Coxless Quad of school girls, Zeah Brewer, Niamh Monk, Jaimee Bridger and Ella Dudley, and the Men’s Senior Coxless Quad of Luke Watts, Jonty Thomson, Tom Monaghan and Hugh Pawson.
Watts and Pawson again got fourth in the Men’s Senior Double Scull and Niamh Murphy, Grace Hogan, Jaimee Bridger, Mikayla Manville and Campbell Monk just dipped out of bronze in the Women’s Club Coxed Four.
No doubt, AWRC will celebrate the successes and learn from the experience. Most of the female rowers will prepare to peak at Maadi Cup in a month’s time.
As mentioned, there was some impressive finals on the last day in particular, and although the numbers were not high, the quality of a number of intermediate, club and senior races was excellent.
I was very impressed by some of the elite (Premier) events, with races like the Women’s Premier Single having six international scullers going stroke for stroke down the course and four seconds between second and sixth place as the comeback kid Emma Twigg won in an impressive 7m 24.22s.
The long-awaited Men’s Premier Single Scull clash between the world’s fastest man, Robbie Manson, and the double Olympic champion and five-times World champion, Mahe Drysdale, did not disappoint.
Although Manson took the New Zealand title in 6m 52.03, Drysdale was less then three seconds back in unfavourable tail conditions and has gained eight seconds on Manson in the three weeks since the North Island Rowing Championships.
Our elite rowers move into two stages of national trials, which will be completed in early April, in preparation for the 2019 World Championships, which is the key 2020 Olympic Games qualification regatta.
Our various school rowers will be off to the North Island Rowing Championships on March 8-10 at Lake Karapiro and then make final decisions around crews for the week-long Maadi Cup, from March 25-30, again at Karapiro.