Saturday morning finals action
Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale (Auckland RPC) lit up the morning of the final day of the 2016 Bankstream New Zealand Rowing Championships with a trademark performance to secure his ninth national title in the men’s premier single sculls.
The world-class sculler had recently suffered defeat to John Storey in the Cambridge Town Cup but today he produced an assured display to hold off a late charge from Robbie Manson and clinch the win by 1.29 seconds.
Storey (Southern RPC) completed the podium positions recording 7:01.53 for bronze.
Speaking to the media after the race with daughter Bronte is his arms Drysdale was more than satisfied with banking yet another New Zealand crown.
“The national title is always nice to win but it very much a stepping stone towards the Olympics,” says Drysdale competing in his club colours of West End Rowing Club. “I’m happy with the way the race panned out.
“I feel very much on track with my training,” he says. “It is all about being the very best I need to be in August and as I showed today I can pull out a big race. To know that I can improve with a bit more speed work and preparation is pleasing.”
Manson, who wants to focus on the double this year, was also pleased with his efforts.
“I’m pretty happy with how I’m going in the single,” says Manson, who yesterday secured the national double sculls title alongside Chris Harris. “I tried to throw everything at him but Mahe is Olympic champion, so you would expect him to win.”
North Shore Rowing Club successfully defended their premier men’s coxed four national title, prevailing in a hard-fought scrap with Waikato Rowing Club. The crew of Cameron Webster, Finn Howard, Bobby Kells, Michael Brake and cox Timothy Zouch proved too strong for the opposition stopping the clock in 6:11.24 – to claim a 2.74 second margin of victory from a Waikato crew coxed by Caleb Shepherd. Blenheim Rowing Club also earned a spot on the podium in third (6:32.28).
The Swiss High Performance duo of Frederique Rol and Patricia Merz revealed their class to take victory in the women’s premier lightweight double sculls final. In a domineering performance the Swiss duo, who won a bronze medal in the 2015 World Under-23 Championships, stopped the clock on the 2000m course in a time of 6:55.97. Placing second were the Southern RPC duo of Rachel Kennedy and Anna Watson-Taylor (7:13.12), who were crowned the New Zealand champions.
In the men’s premier lightweight double sculls event Bryce Abernethy and Jared Van Vianen defended their title in style finishing more than 11 seconds clear of Auckland RPC.
The Southern RPC duo controlled the race from the outset and they were elated to become the same double to successfully defend this title for 12 years.
“It was well executed race plan and a really good W,” says Abernethy.
Meanwhile, Van Vianen was delighted to grab two national titles this week having also collected gold in yesterday’s lightweight pairs alongside Oliver Tyro.
“It is gratifying to win the two titles again,” adds Van Vianen.
Zac Everitt and Jake Guy earned a silver medal in 6:49.88 with Nathan Oakley and Jack Gilpin (6:58.53) placing the first of the three Tauranga Rowing Club boats in the final to take bronze.
Outside of the premier class spectators at a sun-kissed Lake Karapiro were treated to some enthralling racing with one of the highlights on the final morning of the championships a terrific scrap for gold in the women’s under-20 double sculls. In an absorbing battle Auckland RPC (Lexi Kerr and Sarah Crummey) squeaked home by just 0.68 from Waikato RPC (Samantha Voss and Georgia Allen) to take the honours.
Avon Rowing Club enjoyed a glorious start to the concluding day of the 2016 Bankstream Rowing Championships by securing a memorable double in the opening two A finals. The Christchurch-based club edged a close race from a Hawkes Bay composite crew by 1.28 seconds in the men’s club quadruple sculls. Then in the following race on the programme Avon held off Wellington Rowing Club to take gold in the women’s club coxed four.
Triumphant stroke Kate Jordan says the crew were inspired by hearing that their club-mates had won in the preceding race and said: “For some of us it has been a long time coming. We can now take our end-of-season break knowing we have come away with a gold medal.”
It was double delight for local favourite Morgan Dunham as the Cambridge Rowing Club athlete added to the gold medal she won in yesterday’s women’s senior double sculls with victory in the women’s senior single sculls by a near five-second margin from Madeleine Ashby (Avon).
Luke Watts completed the full trifecta of medals this week at Lake Karapiro as the Aramoho-Wanganui athlete retained his men’s senior double sculls title alongside Hugh Pawson. Watts had yesterday won silver and bronze in the men’s senior single sculls and quadruple sculls, respectively.
For results from the 2016 Bankstream New Zealand Rowing Championships: http://www.rowit.co.nz/nzcc2016/results