Rowing: Stevenson named in largest Olympic squad ever

Tauranga Rowing Club's Zoe Stevenson has been selected for the New Zealand Rio Olympics team.

The New Zealand Olympic rowing team to Rio 2016 has been named with London Olympic gold medallists Mah Drysdale, Hamish Bond and Eric Murray leading a team of 31 athletes across 33 seats in nine boat classes.

The team is the largest in New Zealand Olympic rowing history and for the first time will feature a women's eight and a men's lightweight four.

With seven 2015 world championship medals in Olympic events, the New Zealand Olympic rowing team is positioned strongly in the build-up to the Olympic Games.

Tauranga Rowing Club is represented by Zoe Stephenson selected for Rio, with Adam Ling and Tobi Cunliffe-Steel heading to Switzerland to a qualifying regatta and Curtis Rapley unlucky to be named only as a reserve.

Tauranga Rowing Club president Simon Aubrey is happy overall with the selections.

"Zoe Stevenson has gone from Tauranga Rowing Club to the Olympics to defend her world title with teammate Eve McFarlane. Adam Ling has to go to the qualification regatta in the lightweight double with fellow Tauranga rower Tobi Cunliffe-Steel to qualify for Olympics, even though Adam is the current world champion lightweight single champion but that is not an Olympic event," Aubrey said.

"Curtis Rapley unfortunately missed the lightweight four that he has been a crew member for the last world champs. TRC are disappointed for Curtis but he is young and we are sure he will bounce back. He is a tough character and anything can happen between now and Rio."

Other Bay of Plenty rowers selected are Rotorua's Julia Edward and former Tauranga resident Drysdale.

Rowing New Zealand High Performance director Alan Cotter says all of the athletes selected have worked enormously hard to get to this point, gone through a rigorous trialling process and have met the high standard needed for any New Zealand rowing crew.

"Rowing New Zealand crews had a great year in 2015, winning medals in seven Olympic boat classes and finishing second on the medal table behind Great Britain," Cotter said.

New Zealand Rowing Teams 2016
To attend World Cup #2 Lucerne, World Cup #3 Poznan and Olympic Games, Rio
Women's Double Scull: Zoe Stevenson, Eve Macfarlane. Dick Tonks — Coach
Lightweight Women's Double Scull: Julia Edward, Sophie Mackenzie. Gary Hay — Coach
Women's Coxless Pair: Rebecca Scown, Genevieve Behrent. Dave Thompson — Coach
Women's Eight: Rebecca Scown, Genevieve Behrent, Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast, Kelsey Bevan, Ruby Tew, Emma Dyke, Kayla Pratt, Francie Turner (cox). Dave Thompson — Coach
Men's Single Scull: Mahe Drysdale. Dick Tonks — Coach
Men's Double Scull: Chris Harris, Robbie Manson. Calvin Ferguson — Coach
Men's Coxless Pair: Hamish Bond, Eric Murray. Noel Donaldson — Coach
Lightweight Men's Coxless Four: James Hunter, Alistair Bond, Peter Taylor, James Lassche. Gary Hay — Coach
Men's Eight: Stephen Jones, Brook Robertson, Alex Kennedy, Joe Wright, Isaac Grainger, Shaun Kirkham, Michael Brake, Tom Murray, Caleb Shepherd (cox). Noel Donaldson — Coach

New Zealand Rowing Team 2016 — Qualifying
To attend Olympic Qualification Regatta, Lucerne
Women's Single Scull: Emma Twigg, Gary Hay — Coach
Women's Quad: Brooke Donoghue, Georgia Perry, Lucy Spoors, Sarah Gray. James Coote — Coach
Lightweight Men's Double Scull
Toby Cunliffe-Steel, Adam Ling. Calvin Ferguson — Coach
Men's Quad
Jade Uru, Nathan Flannery, George Bridgewater, John Storey. Mike Rodger — Coach
Men's Coxless Four
Drikus Conradie, Axel Dickinson, Patrick McInnes, Anthony Allen. Gary Roberts — Coach
Reserves
Holly Greenslade, Ashlee Rowe, Olivia Loe, Zoe McBride, Finn Howard, Bobby Kells, Curtis Rapley, Giacomo Thomas